Bond order can be calculated using Molecular Orbital Theory as $\frac{1}{2}(\text{number of bonding electrons} - \text{number of antibonding electrons})$.
A higher bond order implies a more stable and stronger bond.
In diatomic molecules, bond order corresponds to the number of shared electron pairs between two atoms.
Bond order can be fractional in molecular orbital theory, unlike in Lewis structures.
A bond order of zero indicates that no bond exists between the atoms.
Review Questions
Related terms
Molecular Orbital: A region where an electron in a molecule is likely to be found; formed by the combination of atomic orbitals.