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AP Chemistry
2.7 VSEPR and Hybridization
2.6 Resonance and Formal Charge
2.5 Lewis Diagrams
AdvancedMCQConceptual14.3k
A horizontal arrangement of three Lewis resonance structures for \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\) separated by two double-headed horizontal arrows. Each structure contains 24 valence electrons enclosed in square brackets with a \(2-\text{ superscript}\) at the top right. In structure 1, central \(\text{C}\) has no lone pairs; it forms a vertical double bond upward to an \(\text{O}\) atom with 2 lone pairs (one top, one right; no lone pairs on left or bottom of this \(\text{O}\)), a single bond down-left to an \(\text{O}\) atom with 3 lone pairs (top, left, bottom), and a single bond down-right to an \(\text{O}\) atom with 3 lone pairs (top, right, bottom). In structure 2, the double bond is directed down-left to the \(\text{O}\) with 2 lone pairs, while the top and down-right \(\text{O}\) atoms each have single bonds and 3 lone pairs. In structure 3, the double bond is directed down-right to the \(\text{O}\) with 2 lone pairs, while the top and down-left \(\text{O}\) atoms each have single bonds and 3 lone pairs. All structures show \(120^\circ\) bond angles. No other particles, labels, text, or annotations appear.
Three Lewis resonance structures for the carbonate ion, \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\).
Experimental measurements of the carbonate ion, \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\), show that all three carbon-oxygen bonds are chemically equivalent with an identical bond length of \(128\text{ pm}\), which is intermediate between a typical \(\text{C}-\text{O}\) single bond (\(143\text{ pm}\)) and a \(\text{C}=\text{O}\) double bond (\(120\text{ pm}\)). The three traditional Lewis resonance structures for \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\) are shown below.

Which of the following statements best reconciles the equivalent bond lengths with the molecular geometry and orbital hybridization of the central carbon atom?

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