If the x-axis is designated as the internuclear axis, which of the following orbital combinations wi — Chemical Bonding Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

A $\pi$ -bond requires the overlapping lobes to be perpendicular to the internuclear axis. If the internuclear axis is the x-axis, $p_x-p_x$ will form a head-on $\sigma$ -bond. The $p_y$ and $p_z$ orbitals are perpendicular to the x-axis, so the $p_y-p_y$ (and $p_z-p_z$) combination will overlap laterally to form a $\pi$ -bond.