Chemistry
Molecular Orbital Theory
motnotes.doc
Like valence bond theory discussed previously, molecular orbital theory is a method of mathematically
describing the changes in orbitals that take place when bonds occur between atoms.
However, unlike
valence bond theory which only hybridizes those orbitals that directly take part in end-on (
σ
) bonding,
MOT blends all the orbitals in all the energy levels in the bonding atoms.
Molecular orbital theory is able to predict some of the observed behavior of molecules that valence bond
theory fails to explain.
The discussion of MOT will be restricted to those elements of the 1
st
and 2
nd
period of the periodic table.
The best way to understand MOT is to study the diagrams in the chapter and follow the examples but I
will outline specific features of this theory that you should pay particular attention to.
1.
For each pair of combining atomic orbitals in the original atoms, a new pair of molecular orbitals
form to replace them.
One orbital (called the bonding molecular orbital) is lower in energy than
the original atomic orbitals and contributes to the strength of the bond.
The other (known as the
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- Fall '10
- Feebeck
- Atom, Electron, Valence, Mole, Molecule, Chemical bond
-
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