Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Bonding orbitals are molecular orbitals that lower the energy of a molecule when electrons occupy them. They result from the constructive interference of atomic orbitals.
5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test
Bonding orbitals have lower energy than the original atomic orbitals that combine to form them.
When a bonding orbital is filled with electrons, it stabilizes the molecule.
Bonding orbitals are typically formed from in-phase combinations of atomic wave functions.
The presence of bonding orbitals leads to an increase in electron density between nuclei.
Bonding orbitals are often denoted by the Greek letter sigma ($\sigma$) or pi ($\pi$), depending on the type of bond they form.
Review Questions
Related terms
Anti-Bonding Orbitals: Molecular orbitals that increase the energy of a molecule when occupied by electrons. They result from destructive interference between atomic orbitals.
A type of covalent bond where electron density is concentrated along the axis connecting two nuclei, usually formed by head-on overlapping atomic orbitals.
Pi Bond: A type of covalent bond where electron density is concentrated above and below the plane of the nuclei, usually formed by side-on overlapping p-orbitals.