The Nature of Chemical Bonds Molecular Orbital Theory

11 The Nature of Chemical Bonds Molecular Orbital Theory 21 

Identify all nonbonding lone pairs of electrons in the following molecules, and tell what geometry you expect for each of the indicated atoms. 

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. 

Molecular orbital (MO) theory describes covalent bond formation as arising from a mathematical combination of atomic orbitals (wave functions) on different atoms to form moleciihn orbitals, so called because they belong to the entire molecule rather than to an individual atom. Just as an atomic orbital, whether unhybridized or hybridized, describes a region of space around an atom W here an electron is likely to be found, so a molecular orbital describes a region of space in a uwlecule where electrons are most likely to be found. 

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Atomic Structure The Nucleus Atomic Structure Orbitals 4 Atomic Structure Electron Configurations 6 Development of Chemical Bonding Theory 7 The Nature of Chemical Bonds Valence Bond Theory sp Hybrid Orbitals and the Structure of Methane 12 sp Hybrid Orbitals and the Structure of Ethane 13 sp2 Hybrid Orbitals and the Structure of Ethylene 14 sp Hybrid Orbitals and the Structure of Acetylene 17 Hybridization of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur 18 The Nature of Chemical Bonds Molecular Orbital Theory 20 Drawing Chemical Structures 21 Summary 24... 

There are currently three different approaches to understanding chemical bonding. Quantum mechanical calculations see Ab Initio Calculations, Molecular Orbital Theory), even though they give the most complete picture, offer few insights into the nature of chemical bonds themselves because the concept of a bond does not arise naturally from a formahsm based on the interactions between nuclei and electrons rather than the interaction between atoms. Even though quantum mechanics gives accurate values for measurable properties, its calculations are compnter intensive and it becomes more difficult to use the more complex the chemical system. 

Theoretical investigations into the nature of chemical bonding were centred around valence bond (VB) theory and molecular orbital (MO) theory. 

Valence-Bond (VB) and Molecular-Orbital (MO) theories both were clearly formulated by the end of the first decade of quantum mechanics. Of course VB theory is connected to early conceptual roots in chemistry, as emphasized by Rumer [1] and more particularly by Pauling, in a review [2] and then in his masterwork [3] The Nature cfiJte Chemical Bond. Thence for some jjeriod of time VB theory seems in the chemical community to have been viewed quite favorably. 

We have used the concepts of the resonance methods many times in previous chapters to explain the chemical behavior of compounds and to describe the structures of compounds that cannot be represented satisfactorily by a single valence-bond structure (e.g., benzene, Section 6-5). We shall assume, therefore, that you are familiar with the qualitative ideas of resonance theory, and that you are aware that the so-called resonance and valence-bond methods are in fact synonymous. The further treatment given here emphasizes more directly the quantum-mechanical nature of valence-bond theory. The basis of molecular-orbital theory also is described and compared with valence-bond theory. First, however, we shall discuss general characteristics of simple covalent bonds that we would expect either theory to explain. 

The contributions of Erich Hiickel to the development of molecular orbital theory have already been mentioned in the subsection on Germany (Section 5.4.1) the development of semi-empirical quantum mechanical treatments in organic chemistry by M. J. S. Dewar has been discussed in Section 5.5. In the early development of the application of quantum mechanics to chemistry, Linus Pauling (1901-1994)359 was pre-eminent. He was associated with CalTech for most of his career. His work before World War II generated two influential books the Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (with E. Bright Wilson, 1935)360 and The Nature of the Chemical Bond (1939).361 He favoured the valence-bond treatment and the theory of resonance. 

In this chapter, we discuss the various applications of group theory to chemical problems. These include the description of structure and bonding based on hybridization and molecular orbital theories, selection rules in infrared and Raman spectroscopy, and symmetry of molecular vibrations. As will be seen, even though most of the arguments used are qualitative in nature, meaningful results and conclusions can be obtained. 

Despite the quantitative victory of molecular orbital (MO) theory, much of our qualitative understanding of electronic structure is still couched in terms of local bonds and lone pairs, that are key conceptual elements of the valence bond (VB) picture. VB theory is essentially the quantum chemical formulation of the Lewis concept of the chemical bond [1,2]. Thus, a chemical bond involves spin-pairing of electrons which occupy valence atomic orbitals or hybrids of adjacent atoms that are bonded in the Lewis structure. In this manner, each term of a VB wave function corresponds to a specific chemical structure, and the isomorphism of the theoretical elements with the chemical elements creates an intimate relationship between the abstract theory and the nature of the... 

Absorption bands in the visible region arise from electronic transitions, from the ground state to excited states. The interpretation of these spectra can often lead to a detailed description of these states in terms of molecular orbital theory. This can reveal much about the structure of the chromophore and the nature of the chemical bonds therein. On a more empirical basis, we can often infer the identity of the axial ligands present in a haemoprotein from its spectrum (16). A proper understanding of the origins of the absorption bands of haemoproteins can be of great value in both structural and theoretical studies. 

It appears from the description of radical ions in Sects. 1 and 3 that redox reactions can significantly change the chemical and physical properties of conjugated 7r-systems. Whether the extended jc-species are treated within molecular orbital theory or within band-structure theory, the inherent assumption in these concepts is that an electron transfer is reversible and does not promote subsequent chemical reactions. While inspection of cyclic voltammetric waves and the spectroscopic characterization of the redox species provide reliable criteria for the reversibility of an electron transfer and the maintenance of an intact (T-frame, it is generally accepted that electron transfer, depending on the nature of the substrate and on the experimental conditions, can also initiate chemical reactions under formation or cleavage of er-bonds [244, 245],... 

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