The following is one way of writing the structure of the nitrate ion:

However ,considerable physical evidence indicates that all three nitrogen -oxygen bonds are equivalent and that they have the same length , a bond distance between that expected for a nitrogen -oxygen single bond and a nitrogen -oxygen double bond . Explain this terms of resonance theory .

Explanation

Since these structures differ from one another only in the positions of their electrons .they are resonance structures or resonance contributors . As such , no single structure .taken alone will adequately represent the nitrate ion .

The actual molecule will be best represented by a hybrid of these three structures . We might write this hybrid of these three structures .We might write this hybrid in the following way to indicate that all of the bonds are equivalent and that they are more than single bonds and less than double bonds . We also indicate that each oxygen atom bears an equal partial negative charge . This charge distribution corresponds to waht we find experimentally .