In the molecular orbital theory, which of the following orbitals is the highest
Practice Questions
Q1
In the molecular orbital theory, which of the following orbitals is the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in O2?
σ2p
π2p
σ*2p
π*2p
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
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.
