Draw the molecular orbital energy level diagram of N₂ molecules.

The molecular orbital energy level diagram for nitrogen (N₂) illustrates how atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals. In N₂, each nitrogen atom contributes five valence electrons, leading to a total of ten electrons in the molecule.

Molecular Orbital Diagram Overview

The molecular orbitals are formed from the combination of the 2s and 2p atomic orbitals of the nitrogen atoms. The energy levels of these orbitals can be represented as follows:

Energy Levels

• σ(2s) - Bonding molecular orbital formed from the 2s orbitals.
• σ*(2s) - Antibonding molecular orbital formed from the 2s orbitals.
• σ(2p) - Bonding molecular orbital formed from the 2p orbitals.
• π(2p) - Two degenerate bonding molecular orbitals formed from the 2p orbitals.
• π*(2p) - Two degenerate antibonding molecular orbitals formed from the 2p orbitals.
• σ*(2p) - Antibonding molecular orbital formed from the 2p orbitals.

Electron Configuration

The ten electrons in N₂ fill the molecular orbitals in the following order:

• 2 electrons in σ(2s)
• 2 electrons in σ*(2s)
• 2 electrons in σ(2p)
• 4 electrons in the two π(2p) orbitals (2 in each)

Diagram Representation

While I can't draw the diagram here, you can visualize it as follows:

• At the bottom, place σ(2s) and σ*(2s).
• Above that, place σ(2p) followed by the two π(2p) orbitals.
• At the top, place the antibonding orbitals π*(2p) and σ*(2p).

This arrangement shows that N₂ has a triple bond due to the presence of one σ bond and two π bonds, contributing to its stability and strength.