Question

a. Predict the relative bond lengths of the three carbon-oxygen bonds in carbonate ion.

b. What is the charge on each oxygen?

Short answer

a) All the carbon-oxygen bond in carbonate ion is of same length.

b) Because the two negative charges are shared by three oxygens equally so each oxygen atom has two third negative charge.

Step-by-step solution

Reason behind this

a) All the carbon-oxygen bond in carbonate ion is of same length because each carbon-oxygen bond is represented in one resonance contributor by a double bond in two resonance contributors by a single bond.

b) Because the two negative charges are shared by three oxygens equally so each oxygen atom has two third negative charge.

Final answer

a) All the carbon-oxygen bond in carbonate ion is of same length length because each carbon-oxygen bond is represented in one resonance contributor by a double bond in two resonance contributors by a single bond.

b) Because the two negative charges are shared by three oxygens equally so each oxygen atom has two third negative charge.