Lone Pair Resonance Structures
Draw all possible resonance structures for the following molecule
In this problem, you're asked to draw the resonance structures for a nitrogen atom bonded to three carbon chains. Nitrogen is unique because it has five valence electrons, allowing it to form three bonds while still having one lone pair of electrons. A lone pair is a pair of valence electrons that are not shared or bonded to other atoms.
Resonance structures show different ways that electrons, particularly lone pairs and bonds, can be arranged within a molecule without changing the overall structure. For nitrogen, the lone pair can sometimes participate in resonance, depending on the surrounding atoms and bonds. In this case, you’d explore possible electron shifts within the molecule while keeping the total number of electrons consistent.
