{"id":10447,"date":"2017-02-14T05:47:09","date_gmt":"2017-02-14T10:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/?p=10447"},"modified":"2025-07-03T06:33:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T11:33:22","slug":"molecular-orbital-pi-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2017\/02\/14\/molecular-orbital-pi-bond\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonding And Antibonding Pi Orbitals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Bonding And Antibonding Orbitals For A Simple Pi Bond<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Two adjacent p-orbitals each containing an electron can overlap to form a<strong> pi-bond<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>In a pi bond, the two\u00a0<strong>atomic orbitals\u00a0<\/strong>(p-orbitals) overlap to form two\u00a0<strong>molecular orbitals\u00a0<\/strong>(pi-orbitals)<\/li>\n<li>Overlap between two p-orbitals with the same phase results in\u00a0<strong>constructive\u00a0<\/strong>orbital overlap and allows the electrons to be shared between the two atoms, resulting in\u00a0<strong>bonding\u00a0<\/strong>and a\u00a0<strong>lowering\u00a0<\/strong>of energy<\/li>\n<li>Overlap between two p-orbitals with the\u00a0<strong>opposite\u00a0<\/strong>phase results in\u00a0<strong>destructive\u00a0<\/strong>orbital overlap and prevents the electrons\u00a0 from being shared between the two atoms. Repulsion between the two positively-charged atomic nuclei being held closely together results in a more energetically\u00a0<strong>unstable\u00a0<\/strong>situation called\u00a0<strong>antibonding\u00a0<\/strong>(\u03c0* )<\/li>\n<li>In the case of a simple pi-bond with two electrons, the bonding pi-orbital (\u03c0) is the\u00a0<strong>highest-occupied<\/strong> molecular orbital (<strong>HOMO<\/strong>)and the antibonding orbital is the <strong>lowest-unoccupied<\/strong> molecular orbital (<strong>LUMO)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/0-summary-image-pi-bond-antibond.gif\" alt=\"summary-image-pi-bond-antibond\" width=\"640\" height=\"570\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li class=\"p1\"><a href=\"#one\"><span class=\"s1\">Relationship Energy Diagrams: &#8220;Bonding&#8221; and &#8220;Antibonding&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#two\"><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Full Relationship Energy Diagram<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#three\">Non-Bonding, Bonding And Antibonding Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four\">Energy Diagram Including Bonding, Non-Bonding, And Antibonding Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#five\">&#8220;Why Do Antibonding Orbitals Even Exist&#8221; ?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#six\">Molecular Orbitals Are Formed By The Overlap Of Atomic Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#seven\">Bonding Pi Molecular Orbitals Form Through The Side-On Constructive\u00a0 Overlap Of p Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#eight\">Antibonding Pi Molecular Orbitals Result From the Destructive Side-On Overlap Of Adjacent p Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nine\">An Energy Diagram For A Simple Pi Bond Incorporating Bonding and Antibonding Pi Molecular Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ten\">Conclusion: Some Rules for Pi Molecular Orbitals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#notes\">Notes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#quizzes\">Quiz Yourself!\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><a id=\"one\"><\/a>1. Relationship Energy Diagrams: &#8220;Bonding&#8221; and &#8220;Antibonding&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>In the previous post in this series, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2017\/01\/24\/conjugation-and-resonance\/\">On Conjugation and Resonance<\/a>&#8220;, I warned that in order to gain a deeper understanding of some of the concepts ahead, we&#8217;re\u00a0going to need to go into MO theory.<\/p>\n<p>But before we do&#8230; shall we talk about dating? It&#8217;s Valentines day as I write this, after all&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>A lot of people say they&#8217;re happy being single, and I believe that many\u00a0likely are. \u00a0But in the back of their mind of many single people is the thought that if they <em>just found the right person,<\/em> they might be even happier &#8211; or <em>less unhappy<\/em>, which is a crappy way to look at it psychologically but necessary if you wish to\u00a0draw a\u00a0diagram where a &#8220;happy couple&#8221; is occupying a &#8220;potential energy well&#8221;, below.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/1-Relationship-energy-diagram-for-a-happier-couple-more-stable-together-like-an-energy-well-decrease-in-unhappiness.gif\" alt=\"Relationship energy diagram for a happier couple more stable together like an energy well decrease in unhappiness\" width=\"600\" height=\"313\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">(can also be yenta-catalyzed)<\/p>\n<p>The decrease in unhappiness brought about by bonding can be quantified as the &#8220;bond energy&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it can take a lot of random collisions before two single people fall into the potential energy well that categorizes a happy relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Worse, two people can suddenly find themselves in a relationship where they were initially attracted to each other, but upon being in close proximity realize that they were actually happier being single after all.<\/p>\n<p>That gives you a situation like the one below which you can think of as &#8220;antibonding&#8221; &#8211; an unhappy, unstable couple, destined to separate back into its individual components.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2-unhappy-relationship-energy-diagram-two-people-in-bad-relationship-are-at-energy-maximum-less-stable-more-happy-single-than-together.gif\" alt=\"unhappy relationship energy diagram two people in bad relationship are at energy maximum less stable more happy single than together\" width=\"600\" height=\"283\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"two\"><\/a>2. The Full Relationship Energy Diagram<\/h2>\n<p>The romantic view of love is that if the potential energy well is deep enough, you have Happily Ever After, lovers destined never to part.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, that&#8217;s partly a reflection of the fact that\u00a0romantic comedies cut out right after the wedding scene. They don&#8217;t check in six months later when Prince Charming has turned into &#8220;Mr. Never Takes His Kleenex Out of His Pants Before Putting Them In The Dryer&#8221;\u00a0and Snow White has morphed into &#8220;Mrs. Keeps Leaving Her Disgusting Jammy Knife On The Kitchen Counter&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The truth\u00a0is that even happy relationships possess\u00a0<em>latent unhappiness. \u00a0<\/em>Strain them with enough force, and instability (and breakup) may result.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/3-full-relationship-energy-diagram-showing-happy-couple-in-energy-well-and-unhappiness-as-energy-maximum.gif\" alt=\"full relationship energy diagram showing happy couple in energy well and unhappiness as energy maximum\" width=\"600\" height=\"433\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And this diagram is just for two people!<\/p>\n<p>We don&#8217;t need to make drawings of the destabilization that can occur when a third person enters the relationship.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"three\"><\/a>3. Non-Bonding, Bonding And Antibonding Orbitals<\/h2>\n<p>At the risk of being pedantic, let&#8217;s remind ourselves: why do bonds form in the first place? What is the reason why atoms would bother sharing their electrons with each other at all? Why can&#8217;t\u00a0they\u00a0just &#8220;be happy being single?&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Some are, of course &#8211; the noble gases come to mind. But for elements in the first row of the periodic table with less than 8 valence electrons, particularly carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine, there is a strong electrostatic driving force to acquire a full octet of valence electrons.<\/p>\n<p>It may help to recall the forces at work. \u00a0In a chemical bond, two negatively charged electrons are held between the two positively charged nuclei. If you use the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Coulomb's_law\">Coulomb equation <\/a>to model this, \u00a0the attractive forces between the two electrons and the two nuclei (<em>opposite charges attract<\/em>, remember) outweigh the repulsive forces between the two positively charged nuclei and two negatively charged electrons, respectively. <strong>There is a net\u00a0<em>lowering<\/em> of energy &#8211; a stabilization &#8211; imparted by bringing the nuclei together in this way.<\/strong>\u00a0This lowering of energy is called the bond dissociation energy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15568\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/4-electrostatic-interactions-in-a-chemical-bond-electrons-held-between-two-nuclei-.gif\" alt=\"electrostatic interactions in a chemical bond electrons held between two nuclei\" width=\"600\" height=\"271\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now imagine another situation, where the nuclei are the same distance apart, but the electrons <em>cannot<\/em>\u00a0be held between them (due to a <em>node<\/em>, see below).\u00a0 In this case, you have two positively charged nuclei held closely together in space but no electrons between them providing a stabilizing attractive interaction. \u00a0The repulsion between the two nuclei (and the electrons with each other) outweighs any attractive forces between the electrons and nuclei, and the result is more unstable than the situation for two non-bonded atoms. We call this situation &#8220;antibonding&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15561\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/5-chemical-antibond-shows-two-nuclei-separated-by-node-naked-repulsion-between-two-nuclei-and-repulsive-forces-dominate-over-attractive-forces-raising-of-energy.gif\" alt=\"chemical antibond shows two nuclei separated by node naked repulsion between two nuclei and repulsive forces dominate over attractive forces raising of energy\" width=\"600\" height=\"275\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"four\"><\/a>4. Energy Diagram Including Bonding, Non-Bonding, And Antibonding Orbitals<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So, like relationships, in chemical bonding we&#8217;ve seen three situations of differing energy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;nonbonding&#8221; &#8211; the energy of the atom in the absence of any bonding.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;bonding&#8221; &#8211; the energy in the happy situation where the two electrons are between the atoms, which is more stable: attraction &gt; repulsion<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0&#8220;anti bonding&#8221; &#8211; the energy in the unhappy situation where the electrons are held away from the atoms: repulsion &gt; attraction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For bonding between two identical atoms, we can roughly sketch out these three levels as follows. \u00a0[<a href=\"#notetwo\">Note 2<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15562\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/6-simple-energy-level-diagram-showing-non-bonded-atoms-with-bonding-and-antibonding-molecular-orbitals-not-filled-with-electrons.gif\" alt=\"simple energy level diagram showing non bonded atoms with bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals not filled with electrons\" width=\"600\" height=\"244\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Note that we haven&#8217;t\u00a0populated the levels with\u00a0electrons yet. That comes next.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"five\"><\/a>5. &#8220;Why Do Antibonding Orbitals Even Exist&#8221; ?<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Why does anti bonding even exist?&#8221;, you might wonder. Why do we have to concern ourselves with a situation that is even more unstable than for two atoms being apart?<\/p>\n<p>As we&#8217;ll see, it&#8217;s quite common for electrons to occupy antibonding states &#8211; albeit for brief periods of time &#8211; \u00a0without the molecule being destroyed. \u00a0Electrons are small\u00a0(1\/1840 the mass of a proton) and nuclei are heavy; an electron can zip up to an antibonding state and back down to the bonding orbital in much less time than it would take for the bond to dissociate. [<a href=\"#noteone\">Note 1<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p>In fact, every time you observe the green leaves of a plant or the petals of a flower, what you are seeing is the result of visible light (of frequency\u00a0\u03bd) being absorbed by a chromophore (e.g. chlorophyll), promoting an electron from a pi (bonding) orbital to a pi* (antibonding) orbital, with a gap in energy E = h\u03bd. The high-energy electron can then just relax back to ground state, emitting a photon in the process, and the molecule is back to where it started.<\/p>\n<p>As for &#8220;why antibonding exists&#8221;, that&#8217;s an excellent question.<\/p>\n<p><em>No electrons may have the exact same quantum number.\u00a0 <\/em>A bonding orbital can hold two electrons, each with opposite spin, and that&#8217;s it. Polygamy may be a thing in some cultures, and &#8220;alternative lifestyles&#8221; abound, but Wolfgang Pauli&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pauli_exclusion_principle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">exclusion principle<\/a> is more unbreakable than any religious or cultural ordinance.<\/p>\n<p>By\u00a0&#8220;quantum numbers&#8221; , we mean (n, <em>l,<\/em>\u00a0<em>m<\/em>, and spin), the parameters of the Schr\u00f6dinger wave equation which describes the energy and positions of electrons. What we call &#8220;orbitals&#8221; are actually \u00a03-dimensional shapes where there is a 95% probability of an electron being found. \u00a0Each orbital (a unique combination of\u00a0<em>n, l,\u00a0<\/em>and<em> m<\/em>) can accommodate a pair of electrons with opposite spin, +1\/2 and \u20131\/2.<\/p>\n<p>Hence, when we populate our energy diagram with electrons, <strong>the most that any individual orbital can accommodate is two.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aufbau_principle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aufbau principle<\/a>\u00a0states\u00a0that the lowest energy orbitals are filled first. It&#8217;s a bit like\u00a0a Greyhound bus;<strong> people only stand in the aisles once the seats fill up.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So with two electrons (represented by half-arrows) to populate the orbitals, our sketch\u00a0would look like this. Note the opposite spins in the bonding (molecular) orbital. For our singly-occupied orbitals, the orientation of the electron spins are generally drawn as being the same (a nod to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chem.purdue.edu\/jmol\/gloss\/hundsrule.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hund&#8217;s rule<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/7-simple-molecular-orbital-diagram-for-a-molecule-with-two-bonded-electrons-non-bonded-and-bonding-in-lower-bonding-orbital.gif\" alt=\"simple molecular orbital diagram for a molecule with two bonded electrons non bonded and bonding in lower bonding orbital\" width=\"450\" height=\"290\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Were a third electron to be added to this, we&#8217;d have to put it in an anti bonding orbital (unstable). And were a fourth electron to be added, we&#8217;d have a doubly populated anti bonding orbital, which is extremely unstable (and a pretty good description of why helium doesn&#8217;t form He<sub>2\u00a0<\/sub>).<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"six\"><\/a>6. Molecular Orbitals Are Formed By The Overlap Of Atomic Orbitals<\/h2>\n<p>The orbitals we generally concern ourselves with in introductory organic chemistry are the\u00a0<em>s<\/em> and\u00a0<em>p<\/em> orbitals.<\/p>\n<p><em>s<\/em>\u00a0orbitals generally have the appearance of spheres. p orbitals look like dumbbells. d and f orbitals have a variety of fascinating shapes\u00a0that we won&#8217;t talk about\u00a0here.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16827\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/8-s-and-p-orbitals.gif\" alt=\"8-s orbital and p orbital s orbitals shaped like spheres and p orbitals like dumbbells separated by node between two lobes\" width=\"600\" height=\"154\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That dot at the centre of the p orbital is what&#8217;s called a <strong>node<\/strong>, an area of zero electron density, where there is a transition between phases. For the 2p orbital, the node resides directly at the nucleus. <span style=\"color: #993366;\"><em>Fun fact: the number of nodes increases with the principal quantum number,\u00a0<strong>n<\/strong>. The 2s and 2p orbitals each have one node, the 3s and 3p two, and so on.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>When atomic orbitals overlap, they form\u00a0<strong>molecular orbitals:\u00a0<\/strong>areas of space where electrons are shared between atoms.<\/p>\n<p>When s-0rbitals overlap with each other (or hybrid orbitals with s-character, such as sp<sup>3<\/sup>, sp2, and sp),\u00a0<strong>sigma<\/strong> ( \u03c3) molecular orbitals are formed. This is &#8220;end-on&#8221; overlap. \u00a0The bonding in hydrogen (H<sub>2<\/sub>) is a perfect example.<\/p>\n<p>The number of orbitals is never changed by bonding.\u00a0<strong>The number of molecular orbitals always equals the number of contributing atomic orbitals.<\/strong> Hence for H<sub>2<\/sub>, built from two atomic (1s) orbitals, we obtain\u00a0<strong>two<\/strong> molecular orbitals (bonding and anti bonding). Bonding in CH<sub>4<\/sub>, built from 4 hydrogen\u00a01s orbitals and 4 hybrid carbon sp<sup>3<\/sup> orbitals, has\u00a0\u00a08 molecular orbitals in total.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"seven\"><\/a>7. Bonding Pi Molecular Orbitals Form Through The Side-On Constructive\u00a0 Overlap Of p Orbitals<\/h2>\n<p>In this\u00a0series of posts, we&#8217;ve been discussing\u00a0Pi (\u03c0)bonding, which is the interaction (overlap) between two p orbitals. Bonding in this case is not end-on as in sigma bonding, but &#8220;side-on&#8221;, which as we saw last time, is responsible for the rotation barrier in alkenes.<\/p>\n<p>When two p (atomic) orbitals overlap, we form two Pi (\u03c0) molecular orbitals.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;bonding&#8221; situation is described by <strong>constructive overlap<\/strong>, where p orbitals of matching phase join together to form a pi molecular orbital, which looks like this:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15569\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/9-pi-bonding-with-constructive-orbital-overlap-no-node-between-p-oribtalsl.gif\" alt=\"pi bonding with constructive orbital overlap no node between p oribtalsl\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"eight\"><\/a>8. Antibonding Pi Molecular Orbitals Result From the Destructive Side-On Overlap Of Adjacent p Orbitals<\/h2>\n<p>The second molecular orbital is described by <strong>destructive overlap<\/strong> (or destructive interference, if you prefer) where p orbitals of mismatched phase join together to form another pi molecular orbital.<\/p>\n<p>Note that this results in a <strong>node<\/strong> between the atoms &#8211; an area where there is a change in phase and thus <strong>no orbital overlap\u00a0<\/strong>(and therefore no electron density).\u00a0This corresponds to the &#8220;antibonding&#8221; situation we described earlier, where the two nuclei are held closely together in space but lack the attractive interactions of electrons between them. Hence it is higher in energy.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/3-pi-antibonding-orbital-e1486828412109.png\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15565\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/10-drawing-of-pi-andibonding-orbital-nodes-between-two-p-orbitals-no-electron-density-between-nuclei-therefore-repulsive-terms-outweigh-attractive-terms-this-is-pi-star-pi-antibonding.gif\" alt=\"drawing of pi andibonding orbital nodes between two p orbitals no electron density between nuclei therefore repulsive terms outweigh attractive terms this is pi star pi antibonding\" width=\"600\" height=\"335\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"nine\"><\/a>9. An Energy Diagram For A Simple Pi Bond Incorporating Bonding and Antibonding Pi Molecular Orbitals<\/h2>\n<p>By analogy to our previous examples, we can draw up an energy diagram for these two situations. (The energy of the antibonding orbital is a little bit more than 2 times the bonding energy). [<a href=\"#notethree\">Note 3<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p>According to the Aufbau principle, these orbitals will fill up in order of stability, which means that for a typical pi bond, we end up with two electrons in the Pi orbital and zero in the Pi*.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15566\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/11-molecular-orbital-diagram-for-a-simple-pi-bond-with-bonding-pi-orbital-and-antibonding-pi-star-orbital.gif\" alt=\"molecular orbital diagram for a simple pi bond with bonding pi orbital and antibonding pi star orbital\" width=\"600\" height=\"444\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If we were to add a third electron, it must go to the Pi* (antibonding) orbital.<\/p>\n<p>For the simple case of a pi bond, note that the Pi molecular orbital is the &#8220;highest occupied molecular orbital&#8221; (or HOMO) and the Pi* orbital is the &#8220;lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital&#8221;, or LUMO. This isn&#8217;t an important distinction\u00a0<em>at the moment<\/em>, but it will come up in subsequent posts.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"ten\"><\/a>10. Conclusion: Some Rules for Pi Molecular Orbitals<\/h2>\n<p>Hopefully most of this was a review from first-semester material. \u00a0We are going to use this exercise to form a set of guidelines that we can apply\u00a0building up more complicated systems molecular orbitals that comprise three, four, or even more individual components.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s review the main points.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When overlap between adjacent p orbitals is possible, then Pi (\u03c0) molecular orbitals can be formed. [<a href=\"#notefour\">Note 4<\/a>]<\/li>\n<li>The number of Pi molecular orbitals formed by overlap will\u00a0<strong>always<\/strong> equal the number of contributing p orbitals<br \/>\n(Another way to say this: overlap of\u00a0<strong>N\u00a0<\/strong>atomic orbitals gives rise to\u00a0<strong>N\u00a0<\/strong>molecular orbitals)<\/li>\n<li>When N=2, this describes a single Pi\u00a0bond.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<strong>node<\/strong> is where phases change sign.<\/li>\n<li>The lowest-energy (most stable) orbital has <strong>zero<\/strong> nodes between the individual orbitals (e.g. our Pi bonding orbital)<\/li>\n<li>The highest-energy (least stable) orbital has\u00a0<strong>N-1\u00a0<\/strong>nodes between the individual orbitals. (For our pi-bond example, since N=2, it had one node) [<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the next post we will cover systems of three and four molecular orbitals.<\/p>\n<p>N=3 describes\u00a0<strong>allyl\u00a0<\/strong>systems. We will cover the molecular orbitals of the\u00a0<strong>allyl cation, allyl radical, and allyl anion.\u00a0<\/strong>If there&#8217;s time, we might even get to N=4 (butadienyl) systems too.<\/p>\n<p>Before we do, a quiz:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>how many molecular orbitals will be in the allyl system?<\/li>\n<li>how many nodes will the highest-energy molecular orbital have?<\/li>\n<li>how many molecular orbitals will be in the butadienyl system?<\/li>\n<li>how many nodes will the highest energy molecular orbital have?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[<a href=\"#notefive\">answers<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to <strong>Thomas Struble<\/strong> for help with this post.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"notes\"><\/a>Notes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"related-articles\"><p><strong>Related Articles<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2017\/02\/16\/molecular-orbitals-of-the-allyl-cation-allyl-radical-and-allyl-anion\/\" class=\"\"><span>Molecular Orbitals of The Allyl Cation, Allyl Radical, and Allyl Anion<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2017\/02\/28\/pi-molecular-orbitals-of-butadiene\/\" class=\"\"><span>Pi Molecular Orbitals of Butadiene<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2017\/03\/22\/reactions-of-dienes-12-and-14-addition\/\" class=\"\"><span>Reactions of Dienes: 1,2 and 1,4 Addition<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2017\/04\/11\/more-on-12-and-14-additions-to-dienes\/\" class=\"\"><span>More On 1,2 and 1,4 Additions To Dienes<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2013\/11\/25\/allylic-bromination\/\" class=\"\"><span>Allylic Bromination<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/2011\/03\/11\/3-factors-that-stabilize-carbocations\/\" class=\"\"><span>3 Factors That Stabilize Carbocations<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<p><strong><a id=\"noteone\"><\/a>Note 1. <\/strong>This is the essence of the <a href=\"http:\/\/hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu\/hbase\/molecule\/bornop.html\">Born Oppenheimer approximation<\/a>, which states that the motion of atoms and electrons can be separated. If you want to continue beating our relationship\u00a0analogy to death, it&#8217;s similar to how even happy couples can have spats and then make up before the slow-grinding wheels of the divorce attorneys have time to operate.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a id=\"notetwo\"><\/a>Note 2. <\/strong>For two identical atoms the energies of the two contributing atomic orbitals are the same. As we go across the periodic table (increasing electronegativity) the energy of the atomic orbitals decreases, another way of saying they are more stable.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a id=\"notethree\"><\/a>Note 3. <\/strong>The pi* is more antibonding than the pi is bonding, due to electronic repulsion. See Fleming, &#8220;Frontier Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions&#8221; (chapter 2) for the clearest and best treatment of molecular orbitals in organic chemistry.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a id=\"notefour\"><\/a>Note 4. <\/strong>For an example of adjacent p-orbitals which do <em>not<\/em> lead to molecular orbitals, see the &#8220;bridgehead olefin&#8221; below.<\/p>\n<p>This is an example of two adjacent p-orbitals which cannot form a pi bond, such as in a bridgehead olefin. The system behaves like two individual radicals.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/F1-what-about-two-adjacent-p-oribtals-incapable-of-overlap-like-in-a-bridgehead-alkene-these-orbitals-behave-like-free-radicals-very-unstable.gif\" alt=\"what about two adjacent p oribtals incapable of overlap like in a bridgehead alkene these orbitals behave like free radicals very unstable\" width=\"630\" height=\"351\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a id=\"notefive\"><\/a>Note 5. <\/strong>Allyl (N=3): three p orbitals gives rise to three molecular orbitals. Highest-energy molecular orbital will have 2 nodes (N-1)<\/p>\n<p>Butadienyl (N=4): four p orbitals gives rise to four molecular orbitals. Highest energy molecular orbital will have 3 nodes (N-1).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><a id=\"quizzes\"><\/a>Quiz Yourself!<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quiz-previews\/3316-Front-Image-Only.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"616\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/moc-membership\/\"><strong>Become a\u00a0 MOC member<\/strong><\/a> to see the clickable quiz with answers on the back. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quiz-previews\/3317-Front-Image-Only.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"616\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/moc-membership\/\"><strong>Become a\u00a0 MOC member<\/strong><\/a> to see the clickable quiz with answers on the back. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quiz-previews\/3318-Front-Image-Only.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"616\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/moc-membership\/\"><strong>Become a\u00a0 MOC member<\/strong><\/a> to see the clickable quiz with answers on the back. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quiz-previews\/3319-Front-Image-Only.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"616\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/moc-membership\/\"><strong>Become a\u00a0 MOC member<\/strong><\/a> to see the clickable quiz with answers on the back. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quiz-previews\/3320-Front-Image-Only.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"616\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/moc-membership\/\"><strong>Become a\u00a0 MOC member<\/strong><\/a> to see the clickable quiz with answers on the back. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/quiz-previews\/3328-Front-Image-Only.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"616\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterorganicchemistry.com\/moc-membership\/\"><strong>Become a\u00a0 MOC member<\/strong><\/a> to see the clickable quiz with answers on the back. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bonding And Antibonding Orbitals For A Simple Pi Bond Two adjacent p-orbitals each containing an electron can overlap to form a pi-bond In a pi <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1163],"tags":[1125,195,940,941,1176,1175,344,1124],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-10447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dienes-and-mo-theory","tag-antibonding","tag-conjugation","tag-homo","tag-lumo","tag-nodes","tag-pi-bonding","tag-pi-bonds","tag-pi-orbitals"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bonding And Antibonding Pi Orbitals &#8211; Master Organic Chemistry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to draw the molecular orbitals for a typical pi bond, including bonding and antibonding orbitals. 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