resonance structures

Resonance structures are different ways chemists can represent the distribution of electrons within a molecule when multiple arrangements are possible. Instead of showing a single fixed structure, they draw multiple valid structures that differ in the locations of certain electrons, especially in bonds and lone pairs. These structures are not separate molecules but conceptual tools that help us understand the true, stable arrangement of electrons, which is often a hybrid of all the possible forms. Resonance explains properties like bond strength and stability that can’t be fully captured by a single structure.