Draw the most plausible resonance structure for the cyanate ion ocn-. Be sure to include all lone pair electrons and nonzero formal charges.

Answer 1

The most plausible resonance structure for the cyanate ion (OCN-) can be drawn as follows:

O=C=N-

In this structure, the oxygen atom is double-bonded to the carbon atom, and the carbon atom is also double-bonded to the nitrogen atom. The oxygen atom has 2 lone pairs of electrons, the carbon atom has 1 lone pair of electrons, and the nitrogen atom has 1 lone pair of electrons. The formal charges on the oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen atoms are 0, 0, and -1, respectively.