Question

a) Which bonding theory, vsepr or VB, offers a better explanation of how bonding occurs? why?

b) Which bonding theory, vsepr or VB, offers a better explanation of why a molecule attains a particular three dimensional shape? why?

c) What order of MOs should be used for an MO diagram of the molecule CO?

Answer 1

A) VB theory offers better idea for how bonding occurs because it gives idea about the orbital overlap and about no of electron being shared between two atoms. It gives better idea about the valence shell electron and octet rule being followed or not.

B) VSEPR theory gives better idea about how molecules attain 3 dimentional shape because it considers the lone pair and bond pair electron around the atom in a molecule and also shows the interaction between them about degree of repulsion between them. Hence gives better orientation picturw of the molecule.

C) as there is electro negativity of carbon is less than oxygen hence atomic orbitals of oxygen lie relatively below atomic orbitals of oxygen in MO diagram. The anti bonding is more like carbon ao and bonding is more like oxygen ao.