Double quartet model

Linnett used the concept that an octet of valence shell electrons consists of two sets of four opposite-spin electrons to show that in diatomic and other linear molecules the two tetrahedra are not in general formed into four pairs as we have discussed for F2 and the CC triple bond in C2H2. This idea is the basis of the double-quartet model, which Linnett applied to describe the bonding in a variety of molecules. It is particularly useful for the description of the bonding in radicals, including in particular the oxygen molecule, which has two unpaired electrons and is therefore paramagnetic This unusual property is not explained by the Lewis structure... 

Thus there are five bonding electrons giving a bond order of 2.5, consistent with the bond length of 115 pm, versus 121 pm for the four-electron bond in O2 and 110 pm for the six-electron bond in N2. For these and other related molecules, the double-quartet model is a convenient and useful alternative to the conventional molecular orbital model. Moreover, it shows that for a singly bonded terminal atom such as F or Cl there is a ring of six nonbonding electrons rather than three separate lone pairs. As we will see in Chapters 7 and 8, this conclusion is confirmed by the analysis of electron density distributions. 

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