The Bent Bond Description of Ethene

Bent bonds are also known as banana bonds or t (tau) bonds. For a discussion of the utility of this model in explaining molecular conformation and reactivity, see Wintner, C. E. /. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 587 and references therein. 

There may be chemists who would contend that one innovation of great significance has been made—the introduction of the ff,n description of the double bond and the triple bond and of conjugated systems, in place of the bent bond description. I contend that the a,n description is less satisfactory than the bent bond description, that this innovation is only ephemeral, and that the use of the a,n description will die out before long.. 

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Overlap of sp hybrid orbitals in the bent bond description of ethene. 

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