According to molecular orbital theory, the number of unpaired electron(s) in is : — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

# Solution: Unpaired Electrons in O₂²⁻ **Step 1: Determine total electrons** O₂²⁻ has 2 oxygen atoms (8e⁻ each) plus 2 extra electrons from the 2− charge. Total electrons = 16 + 2 = 18 electrons **Step 2: Apply molecular orbital (MO) configuration** Fill MO energy levels in order: σ1s² σ*1s² σ2s² σ*2s² π2p⁴ σ2p² π*2p⁴ σ*2p⁰ MO configuration: (σ1s)² (σ*1s)² (σ2s)² (σ*2s)² (π2p)⁴ (σ2p)² (π*2p)⁴ **Step 3: Verify electron count** 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 18 ✓ **Step 4: Identify unpaired electrons** - σ1s²: paired - σ*1s²: paired - σ2s²: paired - σ*2s²: paired - π2p⁴: paired (both π orbitals filled) - σ2p²: paired (one orbital fully filled) - π*2p⁴: paired (both π* orbitals filled) All electrons are in paired states with no singly occupied orbitals. **Step 5: Calculate unpaired electrons** Unpaired electrons = 0 Therefore, the answer is **0.00**.