Covalent bond/bonding orbital overlap

In HC1, the covalent bond involves overlap of a hydrogen Is orbital with a chlorine 3p orbital and forms along the p-orbital axis ... 

The coverage of covalent bonding and overlap of orbitals is a study in its own right. To go further with this topic, you might like to read a more advanced text and consider the topic of hybridisation . 

First, we need to consider that the bonding electrons in the atoms concerned are in orbitals. Covalent bonds are formed by overlap of these orbitals. Each carbon in ethene forms three normal covalent bonds by overlap with the orbitals containing electrons on the other carbon and two hydrogen atoms. The electron cloud between the nuclei of the atoms in each... 

FIGURE 11.2 (a) A schematic picture of the formation of a covalent bond through overlap of two half-filled orbitals,... 

Electron orbitals for some covalent bonds may overlap or hybridize. Hybridization of s and p orbitals to form sp and sp orbitals in carbon was discussed. Configurations of these hybrid orbitals were also noted. 

Figure 2.8. The iwo orbitals overlap giving a covalent bond and ihe tvvv electrons are (>ir in a molecular orbital. (If the t o nuclei could be pushed together completely, the...

When elements in Period 2 form covalent bonds, the 2s and 2p orbitals can be mixed or hybridised to form new, hybrid orbitals each of which has. effectively, a single-pear shape, well suited for overlap with the orbital of another atom. Taking carbon as an example the four orbitals 2s.2p.2p.2p can all be mixed to form four new hybrid orbitals (called sp because they are formed from one s and three p) these new orbitals appear as in Figure 2.9. i.e. they... 

The characteristic feature of valence bond theory is that it pictures a covalent bond between two atoms in terms of an m phase overlap of a half filled orbital of one atom with a half filled orbital of the other illustrated for the case of H2 m Figure 2 3 Two hydrogen atoms each containing an electron m a Is orbital combine so that their orbitals overlap to give a new orbital associated with both of them In phase orbital overlap (con structive interference) increases the probability of finding an electron m the region between the two nuclei where it feels the attractive force of both of them... 

In valence bond theory a covalent bond is described m terms of m phase overlap of a half filled orbital of one atom with a half filled orbital of another When applied to bonding m H2 the orbitals involved are the Is orbitals of two hydrogen atoms and the bond is a ct bond... 

The concepts of directed valence and orbital hybridization were developed by Linus Pauling soon after the description of the hydrogen molecule by the valence bond theory. These concepts were applied to an issue of specific concern to organic chemistry, the tetrahedral orientation of the bonds to tetracoordinate carbon. Pauling reasoned that because covalent bonds require mutual overlap of orbitals, stronger bonds would result from better overlap. Orbitals that possess directional properties, such as p orbitals, should therefore be more effective than spherically symmetric 5 orbitals. 

These interactions are most commonly observed for divalent chalcogen atoms and the nitrogen atom (the electron donor D) lies within the X-E-Y (E = S, Se, Te) plane, preferably along the extension of one of the covalent bonds as in 15.3. This anisotropy is a clear indication that these short E N contacts have some bonding character, i.e., they are subject to the geometric restrictions of orbital overlap. Eor example, in the diselenide 15.4 the nitrogen lone pairs are clearly oriented towards the Se-Se linkage. ... 

We said in Section 1.5 that chemists use two models for describing covalent bonds valence bond theory and molecular orbital theory. Having now seen the valence bond approach, which uses hybrid atomic orbitals to account for geometry and assumes the overlap of atomic orbitals to account for electron sharing, let s look briefly at the molecular orbital approach to bonding. We ll return to the topic in Chapters 14 and 15 for a more in-depth discussion. 

A covalent bond is formed when an electron pair is shared between atoms. According to valence bond theory, electron sharing occurs by overlap of two atomic orbitals. According to molecular orbital (MO) theory, bonds result from the mathematical combination of atomic orbitals to give molecular orbitals, which belong to the entire molecule. Bonds that have a circular cross-section and are formed by head-on interaction are called sigma (cr) bonds bonds formed by sideways interaction ot p orbitals are called pi (77-) bonds. 

Pi (77 ) bond (Section 1.8) The covalent bond formed by sideways overlap of atomic orbitals. For example, carbon-carbon double bonds contain a 7r bond formed by sideways overlap of two / orbitals. 

Sigma (covalent bond formed by head-on overlap of atomic orbitals. 

Valence bond theory (Section 1.5) A bonding theory that describes a covalent bond as resulting from the overlap of two atomic orbitals. 

In Chapter 7, we used valence bond theory to explain bonding in molecules. It accounts, at least qualitatively, for the stability of the covalent bond in terms of the overlap of atomic orbitals. By invoking hybridization, valence bond theory can account for the molecular geometries predicted by electron-pair repulsion. Where Lewis structures are inadequate, as in S02, the concept of resonance allows us to explain the observed properties. 

Both phenomena attest to the covalency of the chemical bonding in these species. Incidentally, they also highlight the different characters and implications of the spectrochemical and nephelauxetic series. Within either lanthanoid- or (higher oxidation state) J-block species, the ligand orbitals overlap with the metal s functions... 

A coordinate covalent bond, represented by an arrow, is one in which both electrons come from the same atom that is, the bond can be regarded as being formed by the overlap of an orbital containing two electrons with an empty one. Thus trimethylamine oxide would be represented... 

---