Home / Question Bank / Chemistry / Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques / Question 5 NEET Chemistry Class 11 Resonance Medium Single correct
In the acetate ion, CH₃COO⁻, both carbon–oxygen bonds are experimentally found to be equal in length, intermediate between a typical C–O single bond and a C=O double bond. What best explains this observation? (A) The ion rapidly interconverts between two structures, with the negative charge hopping back and forth between the two oxygens (B) The two C–O bonds are best described by a resonance hybrid, in which the negative charge and π-electron density are delocalised equally over both oxygens (C) One C–O bond is truly single and the other truly double, and they only appear equal when measured because of experimental averaging (D) Both oxygens carry a full unit negative charge simultaneously Show answer and explanation ← Question 4 All Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques questions Question 6 → More NEET Chemistry chapters © 2026 Lumi (Aikolumi Software Pvt Ltd). Original questions written by Lumi. Free to view and practise on this site. Copying, republishing or reproducing these questions, options or solutions, in print or online, is not permitted.
Practising is step one. Knowing what to practise next is the hard part. The Lumi app tracks every answer, finds the concepts you're losing marks on, and schedules your revision with FSRS before you forget.
Start learning free 