Science, Tech, Math › Science Resonance Definition Share Flipboard Email Print Ian Cuming / Getty Images Science Chemistry Chemical Laws Basics Molecules Periodic Table Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Facebook Twitter Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on October 02, 2019 Resonance Definition: Resonance is a method of describing the delocalized electrons in some molecules where the bonding cannot be explicitly expressed by a single Lewis structure. Each individual Lewis structure is called a contributing structure of the target molecule or ion. Contributing structures are not isomers of the target molecule or ion since they only differ by the position of delocalized electrons. Also Known As mesomerism Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Resonance Definition." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-resonance-in-chemistry-605616. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 28). Resonance Definition. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-resonance-in-chemistry-605616 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Resonance Definition." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-resonance-in-chemistry-605616 (accessed March 22, 2023). copy citation