[faralu]

Hello....this question was on my practice exam and I don't understand why it would be all of the answers (specifically ii).
The answer is e.
Thank you!


   Sulfur trioxide is known to be planar with all the oxygen atoms equidistant from the central sulfur atom. On the basis of these facts, which of the following conclusions may be drawn concerning this molecule?
i). It can be represented by three equivalent resonance structures.
ii). The dipoles associated with each S-O bond are equal in magnitude.
iii). The sulfur atom is
a). i only b). ii only c). iii only d). i and ii only e). i, ii, and iii

[UG]

I don't understand why it would be all of the answers (specifically ii).

The information given states that all of the oxygen atoms are equidistant from the central sulfur atom, so all the S-O bonds are the same length, no bond is stronger than another, the dipoles should be equal in magnitude. And for i) the three resonance structures are:

I can't quite read what iii) says

[faralu]

Woops, sorry...it was: the sulfur atom is  hybridized..

Thanks for the explanation!
But...what if (in another scenario) it did not state that it was equidistant and also what if they were different elements with different electronegativities...would that change?

[UG]

But...what if (in another scenario) it did not state that it was equidistant and also what if they were different elements with different electronegativities...would that change?

Well if it isn't equidistant the polarities will not be the same. And if you had different elements with different electronegativities, like S-O compared to S-N or S-H the polarities definitely won't be the same.

[faralu]

Thank you for taking time and responding. I really appreciate it!