What is the formula of the nitrate ion?

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Multiple Choice

What is the formula of the nitrate ion?

Explanation:
Formulas of ions show both which atoms are present and the overall charge. The nitrate ion is a negatively charged polyatomic ion made of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms, with an overall charge of -1. This is written as NO3-, reflecting the extra electron density and the resonance that makes all N–O bonds equivalent. The other strings don’t fit: NO2- is a different ion (nitrite) with two oxygens; NO3 is a neutral molecule, not an ion; NO- is not the nitrate ion. So the correct representation for nitrate is NO3-.

Formulas of ions show both which atoms are present and the overall charge. The nitrate ion is a negatively charged polyatomic ion made of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms, with an overall charge of -1. This is written as NO3-, reflecting the extra electron density and the resonance that makes all N–O bonds equivalent. The other strings don’t fit: NO2- is a different ion (nitrite) with two oxygens; NO3 is a neutral molecule, not an ion; NO- is not the nitrate ion. So the correct representation for nitrate is NO3-.

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