Answer: Sulfite ion has a shorter
S-O
bonds.
Explanation:
The Lewis structure of
SO
3
is
SO3
SO3
(from chemistry.stackexchange.com)
It has a total of six σ and π bonds to the three
O
atoms.
The average bond order of an
S-O
bond is
6
3
=
2
.
The Lewis structure of
SO
2
−
3
is
It is a resonance hybrid, with a total of four σ and π bonds to the three
O
atoms.
The average bond order of an
S-O
bond is
4
3
≈
1.33
.
Since bond length decreases as bond order increases,
SO
3
is predicted to have the shorter bond length.
Sulfite
Sulfite
Explanation: