Which of the following pairs of atoms will form a stable diatomic molecule accor
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following pairs of atoms will form a stable diatomic molecule according to molecular orbital theory?
N and O
O and F
C and N
B and O
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following pairs of atoms will form a stable diatomic molecule according to molecular orbital theory?
Step 1: Understand what a diatomic molecule is. A diatomic molecule consists of two atoms bonded together.
Step 2: Learn about bond order. Bond order is a number that indicates the stability of a bond between two atoms. Higher bond orders mean more stable bonds.
Step 3: Know the electron configurations of the atoms involved. For carbon (C), the electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p², and for nitrogen (N), it is 1s² 2s² 2p³.
Step 4: Apply molecular orbital theory. This theory helps us understand how atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals.
Step 5: Calculate the bond order for the C-N pair. The bond order can be calculated using the formula: (number of bonding electrons - number of antibonding electrons) / 2.
Step 6: Determine if the bond order is greater than zero. If it is, the diatomic molecule is stable.
Step 7: Conclude that C and N will form a stable diatomic molecule because they have suitable bond orders and electron configurations.
