Question

If molecular orbitals are created by combining five atomic orbitals from atom A and five atomic orbitals from atom B combine, how many molecular orbitals will result?

a) 5
b) 10
c) 15
d) 25

Answer 1

When five atomic orbitals from Atom A combine with five atomic orbitals from Atom B, ten molecular orbitals are formed.

Step-by-step explanation:

When combining atomic orbitals from two different atoms to form molecular orbitals, the principle of conservation of orbitals applies. This means that the number of molecular orbitals formed is equal to the number of atomic orbitals combined.

Therefore, if you combine five atomic orbitals from Atom A and five atomic orbitals from Atom B, they will result in ten molecular orbitals. This includes both bonding orbitals and antibonding orbitals, which are important concepts in molecular orbital theory.