Bond Order
Bond order refers to the number of shared electron pairs between two atoms in a covalent bond. It is a crucial concept in understanding molecular stability and bond characteristics. For example, in the hydrogen molecule (H2), the bond order is 1 because it has one shared pair of electrons. In contrast, oxygen (O2) has a bond order of 2 due to two shared pairs, and nitrogen (N2) has a bond order of 3 due to three shared pairs.
Furthermore, bond order is directly correlated with bond enthalpy and inversely related to bond length, meaning that as bond order increases, bond strength increases and bond length decreases. Notably, isoelectronic species share identical bond orders, for instance, F2 and O22− both exhibit a bond order of 1, while N2, CO, and N2+ show a bond order of 3.
Understanding bond order helps predict molecular stability, reactivity, and the nature of bonds in various chemical species.