What is the relationship between the bond order and the number of electrons shared by two adjacent atoms?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The bond order is positively correlated with the number of shared electrons. The higher the bond order, the stronger and shorter the bond due to a greater number of shared electrons. This also means the bond is more stable.

Step by step solution

01

Define bond order

Bond order, in chemistry, is defined as the difference between the number of bonding electrons and the number of antibonding electrons divided by two. This is essentially the number of bonds between two atoms. In a single bond, bond order is 1, in a double bond it is 2, and in a triple bond, it is 3.
02

Describe the relationship

The relationship between the bond order and the number of electrons shared by two adjacent atoms is direct. The greater the bond order, the more the number of shared electrons, and hence the bond is stronger and shorter.
03

Correlation with stability and length

This directly affects the stability and length of the bond. As the bond order increases, more electrons are shared between atoms, resulting in a stronger, more stable bond. Conversely, the bond length decreases with an increase in bond order. This is because more electrons are shared, pulling the bonded atoms closer together.

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