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Bond Order Calculator

From MO Electrons

Common Diatomic Molecules

Formula

Bond Order = (bonding electrons - antibonding electrons) / 2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bond order?
Bond order is half the difference between the number of bonding and antibonding electrons in molecular orbital theory: BO = (bonding - antibonding) / 2. A bond order of 1 = single bond, 2 = double bond, 3 = triple bond. Zero or negative means the molecule is unstable.
Why is O₂ paramagnetic?
O₂ has bond order 2 but its MO diagram shows two unpaired electrons in the π*2p antibonding orbitals. This makes O₂ paramagnetic, which MO theory correctly predicts but Lewis structures do not.

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