In the ?* orbital of carbon monoxide (CO), the lobe on the carbon atom is bigger
ID: 981589 • Letter: I
Question
In the ?* orbital of carbon monoxide (CO), the lobe on the carbon atom is bigger than the lobe on the oxygen atom, but the reverse is true for the ? orbital. What is the reason for this difference?
Select one:
a. The atomic p orbitals on oxygen are of higher energy, and therefore they contribute more to the ? MO.
b. The atomic p orbitals on carbon are of higher energy, and therefore they contribute more to the ?* MO.
c. The atomic p orbitals on carbon are larger because of the lower electronegativity of carbon, which leads to bigger MO lobes on carbon.
d. The atomic p orbitals on oxygen are smaller because of the higher electronegativity of oxygen, which leads to smaller MO lobes on oxygen.
e. The mixing of p orbitals on carbon and oxygen is better in the ? MO than in the ?* MO.
Explanation / Answer
In pi bonding molecular orbital due more electro negativity of Oxygen the electron pair spends much time near the oxygen atom, hence its the pi molecular orbital lose is larger on Oxygen than on Cabon.
Where as the reverse is true for pi anti bonding molecular orbital.