In many different cases of Nitro group I have seen that only one oxygen atom is particularly used for hydrogen bonding but not the other one.But I guess both the bonds should be polar and hence show hydrogen bonding.
Please explain.
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$\begingroup$ I have just used nitro phenol for reference. $\endgroup$– Anshu StackexchangeCommented Jul 31, 2021 at 2:02
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2$\begingroup$ Yes, both N-O bonds are equivalent, so either can form hydrogen-bonds. However, both oxygens forming hydrogen bonds at the same time is probably unlikely due to geometry constraints. $\endgroup$– S R MaitiCommented Jul 31, 2021 at 3:26
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1 Answer
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The oxygen atoms are indistinguishable. That they look distinct is an artifact of the Lewis notation. There are examples when both are acting as hydrogen bond acceptor.
