Class 11 Chemistry simulations · Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

Molecular orbitals: bond order and magnetism

Fill electrons into the molecular orbitals of homonuclear diatomic molecules from H₂ to Ne₂.

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What to notice

O₂ has two unpaired electrons in π* orbitals and is paramagnetic, which Lewis structures cannot explain.

Key relation

Bond order = ½ (N_b − N_a)

Try this

Which molecules have a bond order of zero and therefore do not exist?

What you can change

• Molecule: choose H₂, He₂, Li₂, Be₂, B₂, C₂, N₂, O₂, …

More in Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

• Dipole moments of molecules
• Hybridisation of carbon
• VSEPR: shapes of molecules

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