Carbon dioxide (CO₂), dinitrogen monoxide (N₂O), the azide ion (N₃⁻), and the cyanate ion (OCN⁻) have the same geometry and the same number of valence shell electrons. However, there are significant differences in their electronic structures.
(a) What hybridization is assigned to the central atom in each species? Which orbitals overlap to form the bonds between atoms in each structure.
(b) Evaluate the resonance structures of these four species. Which most closely describe the bonding in these species? Comment on the differences in bond lengths and bond orders that you expect to see based on the resonance structures.