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The p-orbitals oriented in the z-direction (p z) can overlap end-on forming a bonding (symmetrical) σ orbital and an antibonding σ* molecular orbital. In contrast to the sigma 1s MO's, the σ 2p has some non-bonding electron density at either side of the nuclei and the σ* 2p has some electron density between the nuclei.
The qualitative approach of MO analysis uses a molecular orbital diagram to visualize bonding interactions in a molecule. In this type of diagram, the molecular orbitals are represented by horizontal lines; the higher a line the higher the energy of the orbital, and degenerate orbitals are placed on the same level with a space between them.
This lists the character tables for the more common molecular point groups used in the study of molecular symmetry. These tables are based on the group-theoretical treatment of the symmetry operations present in common molecules, and are useful in molecular spectroscopy and quantum chemistry. Information regarding the use of the tables, as well ...
Figure 5: Molecular orbital diagram depiction of frontier orbitals in methane and a basic ML 6 metal complex. As seen above, when a fragment is formed from CH 4, one of the sp 3 hybrid orbitals involved in bonding becomes a nonbonding singly occupied frontier orbital. The frontier orbital’s increased energy level is also shown in the figure.
An initial assumption is that the number of molecular orbitals is equal to the number of atomic orbitals included in the linear expansion. In a sense, n atomic orbitals combine to form n molecular orbitals, which can be numbered i = 1 to n and which may not all be the same. The expression (linear expansion) for the i th molecular orbital would be:
Molecular orbital theory was seen as a competitor to valence bond theory in the 1930s, before it was realized that the two methods are closely related and that when extended they become equivalent. Molecular orbital theory is used to interpret ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS). Changes to the electronic structure of molecules can be ...
Therefore, for two electrons to occupy the same orbital, and thereby have the same orbital quantum number, they must have different spin quantum numbers. This also limits the number of electrons in the same orbital to two. The pairing of spins is often energetically favorable, and electron pairs therefore play a large role in chemistry.
The impact of valence theory declined during the 1960s and 1970s as molecular orbital theory grew in usefulness as it was implemented in large digital computer programs. Since the 1980s, the more difficult problems, of implementing valence bond theory into computer programs, have been solved largely, and valence bond theory has seen a ...