What is the shape of the molecular orbital of the highest energy in the O2 molec
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the shape of the molecular orbital of the highest energy in the O2 molecule?
Linear
Bent
Planar
Diatomic
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the shape of the molecular orbital of the highest energy in the O2 molecule?
Step 1: Understand that O2 is a molecule made of two oxygen atoms.
Step 2: Learn about molecular orbitals, which are regions where electrons can be found in a molecule.
Step 3: Identify that in O2, there are different types of molecular orbitals, including bonding and antibonding orbitals.
Step 4: Recognize that the highest energy molecular orbital is the one that has the most energy among all the orbitals in O2.
Step 5: Determine that the highest energy orbital in O2 is called a π* orbital, which is an antibonding orbital.
Step 6: Conclude that the shape of the π* orbital is typically described as having a nodal plane, meaning it has areas where the probability of finding an electron is zero.
