See image — GOC and Organic Chemistry Basics Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

# Resonance Stability of Vinyl Chloride **Analyzing each resonating structure:** **Structure (1): $CH_2=CH-Cl^{\oplus}$** - Positive charge on Cl (highly electronegative atom) - Violates electronegativity principle - Very unfavorable — **least stable** **Structure (2): $^{\ominus}CH_2-CH=Cl^{\oplus}$** - Negative charge on C (less electronegative) and positive on Cl - Both charges are on wrong atoms - Unstable configuration **Structure (3): $^{\ominus}CH_2-CH^{\oplus}-Cl$** - Negative charge on C and positive charge on C - Adjacent opposite charges (charge separation) - Creates significant electrostatic repulsion - Less stable than structure (2) **Key Principle:** Resonance structures are more stable when: - Negative charge is on more electronegative atoms - Positive charge is on less electronegative atoms - Charges are separated with less repulsion **Conclusion:** Structure (1) places a positive charge on the most electronegative atom (Cl), which is fundamentally unfavorable. This makes it the **least stable resonating structure**. **Answer: Option (1)**