Question

A. Describe the molecule chlorine dioxide, CIO in terms of three possible resonance structures.

Answer 1

Answer:

See explanation

Explanation:

The compound ClO2 has 19 valence electrons.  ClO2 is a bent molecule with tetrahedral electron pair geometry but has two  lone pairs of electrons. This is indicated by the presence of four electron pairs on the outermost shell of the central atom.

The molecule has an odd number of valence electrons, hence, it is generally regarded as a paramagnetic radical. None of the proposed Lewis structures for the molecule is satisfactory because none of them obeys the octet rule.

From the images attached, one can easily see that the electron dots around the oxygen and chlorine atoms does not satisfy the octet rule in all the resonance structures shown.