In the molecular orbital theory, which of the following orbitals is the highest

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Question: In the molecular orbital theory, which of the following orbitals is the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in O2?

Options:

Correct Answer: π2p

Solution:

In O2, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is π2p.

In the molecular orbital theory, which of the following orbitals is the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in O2?

In the molecular orbital theory, which of the following orbitals is the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in O2?

Step 1: Understand that molecular orbital theory describes how atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals in a molecule.
Step 2: Identify the molecular orbitals for O2. Oxygen has 8 electrons, so O2 has a total of 16 electrons.
Step 3: Fill the molecular orbitals in order of increasing energy: σ(1s), σ*(1s), σ(2s), σ*(2s), σ(2p), π(2p), π*(2p).
Step 4: Count the electrons in each molecular orbital until all 16 electrons are placed.
Step 5: The last filled molecular orbital is the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). In O2, the π(2p) orbital is the last one filled with electrons.

Molecular Orbital Theory – A theory that describes the electronic structure of molecules using molecular orbitals, which are formed from the combination of atomic orbitals.
Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) – The molecular orbital that contains the highest energy electrons in a molecule.
Oxygen Molecular Orbitals – In O2, the molecular orbitals are filled according to the Aufbau principle, leading to specific configurations for bonding and antibonding orbitals.