Jump to content

c2 molecule


Ankit Gupta

Recommended Posts

It comes from application of MO theory. There is a diagram that shows the way in which molecular orbitals are populated for dicarbon in this link: http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/chembond/cb08.html

 

Essential, because the bonding pi orbitals are lower in energy than the sigma orbitals, they end up being populated first. As there are only 4 valence electrons available to carbon, the end result is that the bonding pi orbitals are filled and the sigma ones are empty, meaning that only the pi molecular orbitals contribute to the bonding between the two carbon atoms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MO theory is really the only way I can explain it. If you aren't familiar with it, perhaps get a hold of a chemistry text book and read up. If you go through the rest of the link I gave may also help. I can have a go at simplifying it when I get home, but you would probably be much better off just reading around yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.