One can safely assume that the 3s- and 3p-orbitals will form molecular orbitals similar to those formed when 2s- and 2p-orbitals interact. According to molecular orbital theory, what will be the bond order for the Cl₂⁺ ion? A)0.5 B)1 C)1.5 D)2 E)None of these choices are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bond order is calculated as (number of bonding electrons - number of anti-bonding electrons) / 2. Using molecular orbital theory, we can construct the molecular orbital diagram for the Cl₂⁺ ion. The 2s and 2p orbitals of each atom will combine to form molecular orbitals, with the 2s contributing to the lower-energy bonding orbitals and the 2p orbitals contributing to the higher-energy anti-bonding orbitals. The 3s and 3p orbitals will also form molecular orbitals, with the 3s orbitals contributing to the lower-energy bonding orbitals and the 3p orbitals contributing to the higher-energy anti-bonding orbitals. The bonding electrons in this ion will occupy the Cl₂^{molecular orbital, while the anti-bonding electrons will occupy the Cl₂} molecular orbital. Counting the number of bonding electrons and anti-bonding electrons, we get a bond order of (2-1)/2 = 0.5 for the Cl₂⁺ ion.

One Can Safely Assume That the 3s- and 3p-Orbitals Will