What do the terms 'mesomeric effect' and 'inductance effect' mean?

What is a mesomeric effect? "Mesomeric effect" is just a synonym for "resonance effect". If electron density at a particular point in a molecule is higher or lower than what you'd expect from a single Lewis structure, and various canonical structures can be drawn to show how electron delocalization will explain the discrepancy, the difference in electron density is called a "mesomeric effect".

What is an inductive effect? An inductive effect is the polarization of a chemical bond caused by the polarization of an adjacent bond. (Field effects are polarization caused by nonadjacent bonds).

Author: Fred Senese senese@antoine.frostburg.edu

General Chemistry Online! What do the terms 'mesomeric effect' and 'inductance effect' mean?