Which one, if any, of the following statements about the MO treatment of the bonding in benzene is correct?
A)MO theory uses resonance to describe the delocalized nature of the bonding in benzene.
B)The lowest energy pi-bonding orbital in benzene can hold up to 6 electrons.
C)MO theory predicts that benzene should be paramagnetic.
D)The lowest energy pi-bonding MO in benzene has two hexagonal lobes, above and below the plane of the carbon atoms.
E)None of these choices are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lowest energy pi-bonding MO in benzene has two hexagonal lobes, above and below the plane of the carbon atoms. This is known as the HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) and has a delocalized nature due to the six-membered ring structure of benzene. Resonance is a concept used to explain the stability of benzene, but it is not directly related to the MO treatment of the bonding. Benzene is actually diamagnetic, not paramagnetic, due to the complete filling of the pi-bonding MO.

Which One, If Any, of the Following Statements About the MO