resonance

Also known as mesomerism, resonance (chemistry), resonance theory, resonance hybrid

chemistry term; way of describing bonding in molecules or ions by the combination of several contributing structures into a resonance hybrid in valence bond theory

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Commons category: Mesomerism

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Contributing structures of the carbonate ion

In chemistry, resonance, also called mesomerism, is a way of describing bonding in certain molecules or polyatomic ions by the combination of several contributing structures (or forms, also variously known as resonance structures or canonical structures) into a resonance hybrid (or hybrid structure) in valence bond theory. It has particular value for analyzing delocalized electrons where the bonding cannot be expressed by one single Lewis structure. The resonance hybrid is the accurate structure for a molecule or ion; it is an average of the theoretical (or hypothetical) contributing structures.