Answer
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Work Step by Step
a. Molecular orbital theory explains the stability of H2 and the instability of He2 as follows:
- In H2, the bonding molecular orbital is fully occupied, while the antibonding orbital is empty, resulting in a stable molecule.
- In He2, the bonding and antibonding orbitals are both half-filled, leading to a net zero bond order and an unstable molecule.
b. Molecular orbital theory explains the magnetic properties of B2, O2, C2, N2, and F2 as follows:
- B2 and O2 are paramagnetic because they have unpaired electrons in their molecular orbitals.
- C2, N2, and F2 are diamagnetic because they have all their molecular orbitals fully paired.
c. Molecular orbital theory explains the large bond energy of N2 as follows:
- The N2 molecule has a very strong triple bond, with six bonding electrons in the sigma and pi molecular orbitals.
- This high bond order and the stability of the fully occupied bonding orbitals contribute to the large bond energy of N2.
d. Molecular orbital theory explains the relative stability of NO+ and NO- as follows:
- In NO+, the bonding molecular orbitals are fully occupied, while the antibonding orbitals are empty, resulting in a stable molecule.
- In NO-, the antibonding orbitals are partially occupied, leading to a less stable configuration compared to NO+.
