Additionally, the charge arguments focused on the introduction of negative charge and not the distribution of negative charges using formal charges and resonance structures. The stability 165 explanations were surface level with recognition of the enolate as a high energy intermediate. For example, "Step 1 is the least thermodynamically favorable because enolate ions are seldom formed due to their instability, and they often will revert back to their original ketone or aldehyde form." Therefore, while students successfully identified the correct answer, the resources used in their explanations reflect a limited understanding of structure-thermodynamic relationships.