intro + molecular orbitals

what is an organometallic

a compound containing a metal-carbon (M-C) bond

what is a particle

a small, localised object to which can be ascribed several physical or chemical properties such as volume, density, charge or mass

what do particles have and what do they obey

particles have position and momentum

they obey classical particle physics

how else are particles thought of

ball view of electrons

cloud view of electrons

how can atoms be expressed and what information does this give

every system which contains sub-atomic particles such as an atom can be expressed as a mathematical equation - a wavefunction

this tells us about the behaviour of all the components of the atom

how are wavefunctions used for electrons

we can set up a wavefunction just for the electrons in the atom and then calculate what happens to that wavefunction (the electrons) when they interact with the nuclear charge

Schrodinger equation

how can the Schrodinger equation be applied in molecules

is applies for not only electrons interacting with a single nucleus but also for more than one nucleus as in molecules - electrons occupying molecular orbitals

valence bond theory

atomic orbitals mix together in one atom to form new orbitals that are combinations, or hybrids, of the original atomic orbitals

why does molecular orbital theory contain more ionformation than valence bond theory

it tells us about both bonding and antibonding orbitals (VB only bonding)

7 rules of MO theory

1. number of MOs is always equal to the number of combining AOs

2. bonding MOs are lower in energy than the parent AOs and antibonding MOs are higher in energy

3. electrons of the molecule are assigned to orbitals from lowest to successively higher energy

4. AOs combine to form MOs most effectively when the AOs are of similar energy

5. the closer an MO is to a constituent AO in energy, the more of that AO character the MO has

6. the more nodes an MO has the higher in energy it tends to be

7. LUMOs have significant roles to play in reaction mechanisms