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 the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bond order is calculated by subtracting the number of anti-bonding electrons from the number of bonding electrons and dividing by two. With molecular orbital theory, the ClS1U1B12S1U1B0S1U1P1+S1S1P0 ion has a total of 8 bonding electrons (4 from ClS1U1B12S1U1B0S1U1P1 and 4 from S1+S1P0) and 4 anti-bonding electrons (2 from ClS1U1B12S1U1B0S1U1P1 and 2 from S1+S1P0). Therefore, bond order = (8-4)/2 = 2.5. However, since bond order is typically reported as a whole number, we round to the nearest integer, giving a bond order of 1.5. Therefore, the best choice is C, 1.5.

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