Resonance in carbonate ion CO$$_3^{2-}$$ is

Which of the following is true?

The carbonate ion $$CO_3^{2-}$$ can be represented by three resonance structures, each showing one C=O double bond and two C-O single bonds with different oxygen atoms.

Key points about resonance:

1. Resonance structures are not real, individual structures. They are merely convenient representations used to describe the actual structure.

2. The actual molecule does not switch between these structures. There is no dynamic equilibrium between resonance structures.

3. The resonance structures do not exist for any amount of time individually.

4. The actual structure of $$CO_3^{2-}$$ is a single structure called the resonance hybrid, which is a weighted average of all three resonance structures. In this hybrid, all three C-O bonds are equivalent with a bond order of $$\frac{4}{3}$$, and all bond lengths are equal.

Therefore, the correct statement is: $$CO_3^{2-}$$ has a single structure i.e., resonance hybrid of the above three structures.