Question

Given below are two statements:

Statement I: A hypothetical diatomic molecule with bond order zero is quite stable.

Statement II: As bond order increases, the bond length increases. In the light of the above statements, chose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Options

• Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

• Both Statement I and Statement II are false.

• Statement I is true but Statement II is false.

• Statement I is false but Statement II is true.

Answer 1

Both Statement I and Statement II are false.

Explanation:

In Molecular Orbital Theory (MOT), bond order represents the net bonding interaction between two atoms. A bond order of zero means the number of bonding electrons equals the number of antibonding electrons, resulting in no net force to hold the atoms together. Consequently, such a molecule is unstable and does not exist under normal conditions.

Bond order and bond length are inversely related. As the bond order increases, the attractive force between the nuclei becomes stronger, pulling them closer together. Therefore, an increase in bond order leads to a decrease in bond length.