The Chlorate Ion and Related Ions

The Chlorate Ion and Related Ions.—The conventional electronic structure for the chlorate ion is 

Bonds with Partial Double-Bond Character 

An experimental value16 for the Cl—O bond length for the chlorite ion, CIOs , is 1.57 0.03 A for NH4C102 the bond angle is 110° 2°. The bond length corresponds to bond number 1.37 and charge +0.38 on the chlorine atom, which is reasonable. 

It is of interest to note that in these complexes, as in the halogen compounds of the elements of the fifth and sixth groups, the bond angles have values close to those expected for single covalent bonds 108.0° in the chlorate ion and 110° in the chlorite ion. 

It is probable that in the oxyacids of the heavier atoms, such as H Cr04, H2M11O4, HMnC 4, and H2SSO4, the M—O bonds have a large amount of double-bond character, and that the properties of the acids are influenced by this to some extent. 

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