Question

The resonance energy is defined as a difference in energy between __________

(a) Two consecutive resonating structures

(b) Resonance hybrid and most unstable resonating structure

(c) Resonance hybrid and most stable resonating structure

(d) First and last resonating structures

The question was asked by my school principal while I was bunking the class.

The question is from Mesomeric Effect topic in division Reactivity of Molecules Reaction Mechanism of Engineering Chemistry I

Answer 1

Correct choice is (c) Resonance hybrid and most stable resonating structure

Easy explanation: The resonance energy is defined as a difference in energy between resonance hybrid and most stable resonating structure. The resonance energy of a compound is a measure of the extra stability of the conjugated system compared to the corresponding number of isolated double bonds.