In the NO₃⁻ ion (nitrate ion), the nitrogen atom is involved in bonding with three oxygen atoms. Let's break this down to determine the number of bond pairs and lone pairs of electrons on the nitrogen atom.
### Step 1: **Lewis Structure of NO₃⁻**
- Nitrogen (N) has 5 valence electrons.
- Oxygen (O) has 6 valence electrons, and there are three oxygen atoms.
- The nitrate ion has a -1 charge, which means we have to add one extra electron to the total valence electron count.
Total valence electrons = 5 (from N) + 3 × 6 (from O) + 1 (for the -1 charge) = 24 valence electrons.
### Step 2: **Bonding in NO₃⁻**
- Nitrogen forms one double bond with one oxygen and single bonds with the other two oxygen atoms. The negative charge is typically localized on one of the singly bonded oxygen atoms.
- Each bond (single or double) consists of bond pairs (shared pairs of electrons between N and O).
So, nitrogen is involved in:
- One double bond with oxygen (2 bond pairs) and
- Two single bonds with the other two oxygen atoms (2 bond pairs, one for each bond).
Therefore, the nitrogen atom forms a total of **4 bond pairs**.
### Step 3: **Lone Pairs on Nitrogen**
- Since nitrogen has 5 valence electrons and it forms 4 bond pairs, it uses all its 5 electrons for bonding.
- Thus, there are **no lone pairs** of electrons left on the nitrogen atom.
### Conclusion:
- Number of bond pairs on nitrogen = 4
- Number of lone pairs on nitrogen = 0
So, the correct answer is **(D) 4,0**.