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How can bonding and antibonding occur at the same time, when bonding is a constructive interference while antibonding is a destructive one? These are two conflicting cases...

How can bonding and antibonding occur at the same time, when bonding is a constructive interference while antibonding is a destructive one? These are two conflicting cases...

Grade:11

1 Answers

Vikas TU
14149 Points
7 years ago
MOT states that 'when 2 atomic orbitals combine, 2 molecular orbitals are formed. One known as bonding molecular orbital and the other is called anti bonding molecular orbital.'
But formation of bonding and antibonding orbitals can be interpreted in terms of constructive or destructive interference of electron waves of combining atoms.
A particular molecular orbital may be bonding with respect to some adjacent atoms and antibonding with respect to other pairs. If the bonding interactions outnumber the antibonding interactions, the MO is said to be bonding, whereas, if the antibonding interactions outnumber the bonding interactions, the molecular orbital is said to be antibonding.

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