Chemistry › Section H · Advanced theories of covalent bonding › Topic H.4
Molecular orbital theory
Liquid oxygen clings to the poles of a strong magnet, something no Lewis structure can explain. Molecular orbital theory spreads electrons over the whole molecule, and in return it predicts bond orders, bond strengths and magnetism with one diagram.
In this topic
- The oxygen puzzle
- Combining atomic orbitals
- Hydrogen, helium and bond order
- Molecular orbitals from 2s and 2p
- Energy order and s-p mixing
- Filling the diagram: Li₂ to Ne₂
- Worked example: why oxygen is magnetic
- Worked example: oxygen's ions
- Bond order, length and strength
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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