Molecular Orbitals in General Chemistry

Dear Friends: Beginning this year I see questions from students taking general chemistry about molecular orbital theory. Apparently, this subject has been injected just now into the general chemistry course.

The questions take the form of a diatomic molecule like B2 or O2. I think the way to solve these problems is to take the atomic orbitals and form two sets of bonding and antibonding orbitals from them. Then drop the electrons from the two atoms into the molecular orbitals.

Further questions are 1) what is the bond order and length in O2? 2) what are they in O2(-)? and 3) what are they in O2(2-)?

Also, as one drops the electrons into molecular orbitals, which species are diamagnetic and which paramagnetic?

I suspect that we are all going to have to field these questions in the near future. Can you suggest a web site where professors of general chemistry have described these problems?



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