The total number of molecular orbitals formed from 2s and 2p atomic orbitals of a diatomic molecule is

Question

Canvas Classes · Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Count atomic orbitals contributing:

For a homonuclear diatomic molecule (e.g., , ):
- Each atom contributes: 1 (2s) + 3 (2p) = 4 AOs
- Two atoms: 2 × 4 = 8 AOs total

Step 2 — Number of MOs formed:
Number of MOs = Number of AOs combined

MOs formed:
- ,  (from 2s)
- , ,  (×2),  (×2) (from 2p)

Total = 2 + 6 = 8 MOs

Answer: 8

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