Question

Question:Benzoic acid is a food preservative. The space-filling model for benzoic acid is shown below.

Draw the Lewis structure for benzoic acid, including all resonance structures in which all atoms have a formal charge of zero.

Short answer

Answer:

Lewis structure of Benzoic acid

Resonance of benzoic acid with 0 formal charge:

Step-by-step solution

Definition of formal charge:

Formal charge = (number of valence electrons on a free atom) - (number of valence electrons assigned to the atom in the molecule).

The concept of formal charge requires that we compare-

1. The number of valence electrons present on the free neutral atom having a charge of zero as the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons, and
2. The number of valence electrons that belong to a given atom in a molecule.

Definition of Lewis structure:

A Lewis Structure is a simple representation of a molecule's valence shell electrons. It is used to show how electrons in a molecule are arranged around specific atoms. Electrons are represented by dots.

Benzoic acid

Benzoic acid is utilized as a food preservative and is best suited for foods, fruit juices, and soft beverages that have an acidic pH. It is prohibited to use them as preservatives in food, beverages, toothpaste, mouthwashes, dentifrices, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Resonance of benzoic acid:

When we consider electron delocalization from a bond in conjugation in the benzene ring with the carbonyl group of a carboxylate ion,we get the four resonance configurations depicted above.