Step 1: Understand what bond order means. Bond order is a way to measure the strength and stability of a bond between two atoms.
Step 2: Identify the number of bonding and antibonding electrons in the CO molecule. Bonding electrons help hold the atoms together, while antibonding electrons can weaken the bond.
Step 3: For CO, there are 10 bonding electrons and 3 antibonding electrons.
Step 4: Use the bond order formula: Bond Order = (Number of bonding electrons - Number of antibonding electrons) / 2.
Step 5: Plug in the numbers: Bond Order = (10 - 3) / 2.
Step 6: Calculate the result: Bond Order = 7 / 2 = 3.5.
Step 7: Conclude that the bond order of the CO molecule is 3.5.
