Chapter 1, Problem 47P

Ozone $\left({\text{O}}_{\text{3}}\right)$ is found in the upper atmosphere where it absorbs highly energetic ultraviolet (UV) radiation and thereby provides the surface of Earth with a protective screen (cf. Section 10.11E). One possible resonance structure for ozone is the following:

(a) Assign any necessary formal charges to the atoms in this structure. (b) Write another equivalent resonance structure for ozone. (c) What do these resonance structures predict about the relative lengths of the two oxygen-oxygen bonds of ozone? (d) In the structure above, and the one you have written, assume an angular shape for the ozone molecule. Is this shape consistent with VSEPR theory? Explain your answer.