Molecular Orbitals and Hybridisation Flashcards
Organic Chemistry
what is a bonding orbital?
where the electrons of different spin spend most of their time between the two nuclei and where the electrons are most likely to be found.
what determines the shape of the shape of the molecular orbital?
quantum mechanics
why is a hydrogen molecule more stable than hydrogen atoms?
the bonding molecular orbital has lower energy than the separate atomic orbitals.
why are anti-bonding molecules also formed?
the number of molecular orbitals formed is the same as the number of atomic orbitals that combine. if there is two atomic orbitals, then there will be two molecular orbitals, hence bonding and anti-bonding orbitals are formed.
what three factors makes anti-bonding orbitals different to bonding orbitals?
they have higher energy
they do not contain electrons
they are a different shape
