Question

Draw the resonance structure of nitro benzene.

Answer 1

Resonating structure:

• Electrons in an atom do not have a fixed position but they have the probability of being available in a certain region.
• Resonance describes the high probability of the occurrence of electrons in a certain region.
• Resonating structures are a set of two or more than two Lewis structures that describes the bonding in a polyatomic compound.
• Resonating structures also describe the delocalized electrons that cannot be described in a single Lewis structure.

Nitrobenzene:

• In Nitrobenzene, an electron-withdrawing group is present on the phenyl ring which makes the ring has a lower electron density than Benzene.
• Because of the electron-withdrawing group, the phenyl ring is less nucleophilic than Benzene.
• The double bond present between the Nitrogen atom and the Carbon atom allows the electron density to be delocalized across the atoms.
• As shown in the resonance, the ortho and para position gets positive.
• As a result, the meta position gets activated for electrophilic substitution reaction and electrophile attacks at the meta position.