Chapter 6, Problem 62P

Discuss the nature of the bonding in the nitrate ion $\left({\text{NO}}_3^{-}\right)$ . Draw the possible Lewis resonance diagrams for this ion. Use the VSEPR theory to determine the steric number, the hybridization of the central N atom, and the geometry of the ion. Show how the use of resonance structures can be avoided by introducing a de-localized $\pi$ MO. What bond order is predicted by the MO model for the $\text{N}—\text{O}$ bonds in the nitrate ion?