Which portion of the compound lithium nitrate, #LiNO_3#, is a covalently bonded polyatomic ion?

1 Answer
anor277
Jul 31, 2017

#"Lithium nitrate"# features the #Li^+# ion..........

Explanation:

with a #"nitrate counterion"#, #NO_3^-#.

The Lewis structure of nitrate features THREE formally charged atoms......i.e. a quaternized nitrogen #stackrel(+)N#, and two oxygen anions..............of course the formal charge is still #-1#.

#""^(-)O-stackrel(+)N(=O)-O^-#, and of course the negative charges are distributed all over the molecule. VESPER predicts a trigonal planar geometry for the 12 electron pairs......Clearly the nitrate ion is covalently bound, and its Lewis structure reflects this.

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