Resonance problem

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You're correct in saying that they would all be equivalent, but there are still 3 individual O atoms that can each have the double bond at some point in the ground state. Therefore, you would have 3 ground state resonance structures despite the fact that they're all equivalent.

I'm not sure if this helps, but think of benzene - it's also a symmetrical molecule that has many ground state resonance structures that are essentially identical, but they still each count as an individual resonance structure.
 
You're correct in saying that they would all be equivalent, but there are still 3 individual O atoms that can each have the double bond at some point in the ground state. Therefore, you would have 3 ground state resonance structures despite the fact that they're all equivalent.

I'm not sure if this helps, but think of benzene - it's also a symmetrical molecule that has many ground state resonance structures that are essentially identical, but they still each count as an individual resonance structure.
Yes, that helps. Thank you!
 
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