Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure: Chemistry | JEE Main
The total number of lone pairs of electrons on oxygen atoms of ozone is
Your answer stays private
What feels right?
No score. Commit to your first instinct. We’ll show what your mind noticed and what it missed.
Type the value - units or words beside it are fine.
Step-by-step solutionView
Correct answer
The total number of lone pairs of electrons on the oxygen atoms of an ozone molecule is 6.
Option analysis
Why each option works or fails
Reviewed route
Solution
StepWorking
01given
The molecule is ozone, O3. Each oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons.
02strategise
Total valence electrons = 3×6=18 electrons (9 pairs). Draw the valid Lewis structure of O3: a central oxygen atom bonded to two terminal oxygen atoms with one single bond and one double bond.
03execute
In the resonance contributor O¨=O+−O¨¨−:
- Double-bonded terminal oxygen has 2 lone pairs (4 non-bonding electrons).
- Central oxygen atom has 1 lone pair (2 non-bonding electrons).
- Single-bonded terminal oxygen has 3 lone pairs (6 non-bonding electrons).
Total number of lone pairs = 2+1+3=6.
✓verify
Total valence electrons = 3 bonding pairs×2+6 lone pairs×2=6+12=18 electrons. The octet is complete on all three oxygen atoms, confirming the structure has exactly 6 lone pairs.
Does resonance change the total number of lone pairs in ozone?
No. In the other equivalent resonance contributor, the double bond and single bond switch positions. The terminal atoms still have 3 and 2 lone pairs respectively, and the central atom has 1. This keeps the total constant at 6.