How do molecular orbital theory and valence bond theory differ in explaining the bonding and structure of the carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule?
Answer 1
Tyler Mitchell
Molecular Orbital Theory (MOT) and Valence Bond Theory (VBT) offer distinct perspectives on CO2 bonding. MOT describes CO2 using delocalized molecular orbitals formed by the combination of atomic orbitals, leading to bonding and antibonding orbitals. VBT, on the other hand, explains CO2 bonding through the overlap of hybridized atomic orbitals (sp hybridization) on carbon with p orbitals on oxygen, forming sigma and pi bonds.
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