Nitrogen dioxide exists in two ionized forms that play significant roles in atmospheric chemistry: the nitrosonium ion, NO₂⁺, and the nitrite ion, NO₂⁻. Both ions contain the same types of atoms but differ in overall charge.
Respond to the following in your notebook. When a Lewis structure is requested, represent any ion inside brackets and place the ionic charge outside the upper-right corner of the brackets.
(a) Calculate the total number of valence electrons that must be represented in a complete Lewis structure of each ion.
(b) Draw one valid Lewis resonance form for each ion. Indicate all lone pairs and any formal charges on individual atoms.
(c) For each ion, state whether every atom in your drawing satisfies the octet rule. If an atom does not, explain how the ion’s charge or its position in the periodic table justifies the deviation.
(d) Using the resonance forms you drew, explain why the average N–O bond order in NO₂⁺ differs from the average N–O bond order in NO₂⁻. Relate your explanation explicitly to electron count and formal charge distribution.