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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1999  > February  >
In the Classroom
Applications and Analogies
The "Big Dog-Puppy Dog" Analogy for Resonance
Todd P. Silverstein
Chemistry Department, Willamette University, Salem, OR 97301
Cover
February 1999
Vol. 76 No. 2
p. 206
Abstract
The "big dog-puppy dog" analogy is a wry visual scheme that helps to explain the nature of resonance structures, delocalized p bonds, and fractional bond orders and formal charges. In this analogy, puppy dogs are restricted to a specific dog run; they represent s-bond electron pairs. Big dogs are allowed to roam freely over several consecutive dog runs; they represent delocalized p-bond electron pairs. By adding a bunny rabbit who is chased by the big dog, the analogy can be expanded to account for delocalized formal charge in a resonance hybrid. This analogy presents a vivid, humorous picture that helps to explain some of the key aspects of resonance.
More Information
*  Citation
 Silverstein, Todd P. J. Chem. Educ. 1999 76 206.
*  Keywords
 Bonding Theory; General Chemistry; Introductory / High School Chemistry; Organic Chemistry; Teaching / Learning Aids; Teaching/Learning Theory/Practice
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 June 15, 1999
June 22, 2005
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