Molecular orbitals and bonding occupation
A molecular orbital description distributes electronic states across a molecule.
Key knowledge
Molecular-orbital models construct molecular states from combinations of atomic basis functions. Occupying bonding or antibonding orbitals affects stability; simple diatomic diagrams use half the difference between bonding and antibonding electron counts as a bond-order index.
Conditions and scope
- The introductory bond-order count refers to the stated orbital diagram, not a unique observable for every molecule.
- An orbital is a wavefunction; its squared magnitude describes probability density, not an electron trajectory.
Sources · 1
References
Sources retain their recorded scope. A source link alone does not establish verification of every statement.
Evidence and review
Inspected LCAO, bonding/antibonding and diatomic bond-order sections.
2026-10-10 · Checked approximate orbital and diatomic scope; no full many-body solution claimed.
Entry details
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- chem-molecular-orbitals
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