Dinitrogen tetroxide, N₂O₄, exists as a planar dimer formed from two NO₂ units.
(a) Draw one valid Lewis electron-dot diagram for N₂O₄ that shows all atoms and lone pairs. Include resonance structures if they contribute significantly.
(b) For each nitrogen atom, state (i) the formal charge, (ii) the total number of regions of electron density, and (iii) the molecular shape around that nitrogen.
(c) Identify the hybridization of each nitrogen atom and relate it to the geometry you reported in part (b).
(d) Explain why all N–O bond lengths in N₂O₄ are experimentally found to be nearly identical, even though single and double bonds are present in the Lewis diagram.
(e) Predict whether the entire N₂O₄ molecule is polar or nonpolar. Justify your prediction with reference to both individual bond dipoles and the overall molecular arrangement.
(a) Lewis electron-dot diagram(s)
(b) Formal charge, regions of electron density, and shape for each N
(c) Hybridization of each N and its relation to geometry
(d) Explanation of uniform N–O bond lengths
(e) Polarity prediction with justification