CHEM 1770: General Chemistry I - Chemical Bonding and Molecular Orbitals

These flashcards cover key concepts related to chemical bonding as discussed in the lecture notes for CHEM 1770.

Valence Bond Theory

A theory stating that a bond results from the overlap of two atomic orbitals, leading to a localized placement of bonding electrons between two nuclei.

Hybridization

The mixing of atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals that are suitable for the pairing of electrons to form chemical bonds.

Sigma bond (σ bond)

A type of covalent bond formed by the head-to-head overlap of atomic orbitals, characterized by electron density concentrated along the axis connecting the two nuclei.

Pi bond (π bond)

A covalent bond formed by the side-to-side overlap of two p orbitals, resulting in electron density above and below the plane of the nuclei.

Molecular Orbital Theory

A theory that describes the electron distribution in molecules by considering atomic orbitals that combine to form molecular orbitals, which can be bonding or antibonding.

Bond Order

A measure of the number of chemical bonds between a pair of atoms, calculated as (number of bonding electrons - number of antibonding electrons) / 2.

Paramagnetism

The phenomenon of attraction to a magnetic field due to the presence of unpaired electrons in a substance.

Antibonding Orbital

A molecular orbital that is higher in energy than the atomic orbitals from which it is formed and reduces bonding effects when occupied by electrons.

Atomic Orbitals (AOs)

The regions around an atom's nucleus where electrons are likely to be found; hybridization involves combining AOs to create new hybrid orbitals.

Linear Combination of Atomic Orbitals (LCAO)

A method used in molecular orbital theory to construct molecular orbitals by combining the wave functions of atomic orbitals.