Molecular Orbital Configuration. A molecular orbital diagram or mo diagram is a qualitative descriptive tool explaining chemical bonding in molecules in terms of molecular orbital theory in general and the linear combination of atomic orbitals lcao method in particular. O 2 σ 1s 2 σ 1s 2 σ 2s 2 σ 2s 2 σ 2p z 2 π2p x 2 π2p y 2 π 2p x 2 π 2p y 1.
O 2 σ1s 2 σ 1s 2 σ2s 2 σ 2s 2 σ2p z 2 π2p x 2 π2p y 2 π 2p x 1 π 2p y 1 bond order 10 6 2 2 number of unpaired electrons 2 therefore paramagnetic. The spatial distribution and energy of one or one pair of electron s. A molecular orbital can hold two electrons so both electrons in the h 2 molecule are in the σ 1s bonding orbital.
Most commonly a mo is represented as a linear combination of atomic orbitals the lcao mo method especially in qualitative or very approximate usage.
We represent this configuration by a molecular orbital energy diagram figure 9 in which a single upward arrow indicates one electron in an orbital and two upward and downward arrows indicate two electrons of opposite spin. The molecular orbitals of a molecule can be illustrated in molecular orbital diagrams. Common bonding orbitals are sigma σ orbitals which are symmetric about the bond axis and or pi π orbitals with a nodal plane along the bond axis. Chemistry xi chemical bonding 2017energy levels.
