The diatomic molecule OH exists in the gas phase. OH plays an important part in combustion reactions and is a reactive oxidizing agent in polluted air. The bond length and bond energy have been measured to be 97.06 pm and 424.7 kJ/ mol, respectively. Assume that the OH molecule is analogous to the HF molecule discussed in the chapter and that the MOs result from the overlap of a pz orbital from oxygen and the 1s orbital of hydrogen (the O€“H bond lies along the z axis).
a. Draw pictures of the sigma bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals in OH.
b. Which of the two MOs has the greater hydrogen 1s character?
c. Can the 2px orbital of oxygen form MOs with the 1s orbital of hydrogen? Explain.
d. Knowing that only the 2p orbitals of oxygen interact significantly with the 1s orbital of hydrogen, complete the MO energy-level diagram for OH. Place the correct number of electrons in the energy levels.
e. Estimate the bond order for OH.
f. Predict whether the bond order of OH+ is greater than, less than, or the same as that of OH. Explain.

Transcribed Image Text:

1s 25 AO of Molccular AO's of hydrogen orbitals oxygen