Ignore this. I'm trying to understand ochem and need to stare at something besides my book and notes

Nov 01, 2009 16:42

 All resonance contributors do not necessarily contribute equally to the resonance hybrid. The degree to which each resonance contributor contributes depends on its predicted stability.

Because resonance contributors are not real, their stabilities cannot be measured.

Therefore, the stabilities of resonance contributors have to be predicted based on molecular features found in real molecules.

The greater the predicted stability of the resonance contributor, the more it contributes to the structure of the resonance hybrid; and the more it contributes to the structure of the resonance hybrid, the more similar the contributor is to the real molecule.

...

But didn't we establish the fact that resonance contributors DON'T EXIST?! That they're not REAL?!

Resonance HYBRIDS exist. But they don't exist exactly as they're depicted on paper? So...even though the electrons are delocalized and are supposedly running around freely in pi electron doughnut clouds, they might be 'loitering' longer around some atoms more...as dictated by the most stable resonance contributor that actually doesn't exist.

I think I get it. 
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