To determine which molecule stabilizes by the removal of an electron, we will analyze the bond order of the given molecules before and after the removal of an electron. The bond order is calculated using the formula:
\[
\text{Bond Order} = \frac{1}{2} (\text{Number of electrons in bonding orbitals} - \text{Number of electrons in anti-bonding orbitals})
\]
### Step 1: Analyze the Molecules
We will consider the following molecules: C2, O2, N2, and H2.
### Step 2: Calculate Bond Order for C2
1. **Electron Configuration**: C2 has 12 electrons.
- Configuration: \(\sigma 1s^2, \sigma^* 1s^2, \sigma 2s^2, \sigma^* 2s^2, \pi 2p_x^2 = \pi 2p_y^2\)
- Total: 2 (from \(\sigma 1s\)) + 2 (from \(\sigma^* 1s\)) + 2 (from \(\sigma 2s\)) + 2 (from \(\sigma^* 2s\)) + 4 (from \(\pi 2p\)) = 12
2. **Bond Order Calculation**:
- Bonding electrons: 8 (2 from \(\sigma 1s\), 2 from \(\sigma 2s\), 4 from \(\pi 2p\))
- Anti-bonding electrons: 4 (2 from \(\sigma^* 1s\), 2 from \(\sigma^* 2s\))
- Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (8 - 4) = 2\)
3. **After Removal of One Electron**:
- The electron will be removed from a bonding orbital.
- New Bonding electrons: 7
- Anti-bonding electrons: 4
- New Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (7 - 4) = 1.5\)
### Step 3: Calculate Bond Order for O2
1. **Electron Configuration**: O2 has 16 electrons.
- Configuration: \(\sigma 1s^2, \sigma^* 1s^2, \sigma 2s^2, \sigma^* 2s^2, \sigma 2p_z^2, \pi^* 2p_x^2 = \pi^* 2p_y^2\)
2. **Bond Order Calculation**:
- Bonding electrons: 10
- Anti-bonding electrons: 6
- Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (10 - 6) = 2\)
3. **After Removal of One Electron**:
- The electron will be removed from an anti-bonding orbital.
- New Bonding electrons: 10
- Anti-bonding electrons: 5
- New Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (10 - 5) = 2.5\)
### Step 4: Calculate Bond Order for N2
1. **Electron Configuration**: N2 has 14 electrons.
- Configuration: \(\sigma 1s^2, \sigma^* 1s^2, \sigma 2s^2, \sigma^* 2s^2, \pi 2p_x^2 = \pi 2p_y^2, \sigma 2p_z^2\)
2. **Bond Order Calculation**:
- Bonding electrons: 10
- Anti-bonding electrons: 4
- Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (10 - 4) = 3\)
3. **After Removal of One Electron**:
- The electron will be removed from a bonding orbital.
- New Bonding electrons: 9
- Anti-bonding electrons: 4
- New Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (9 - 4) = 2.5\)
### Step 5: Calculate Bond Order for H2
1. **Electron Configuration**: H2 has 2 electrons.
- Configuration: \(\sigma 1s^2\)
2. **Bond Order Calculation**:
- Bonding electrons: 2
- Anti-bonding electrons: 0
- Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (2 - 0) = 1\)
3. **After Removal of One Electron**:
- The electron will be removed from a bonding orbital.
- New Bonding electrons: 1
- Anti-bonding electrons: 0
- New Bond Order: \(\frac{1}{2} (1 - 0) = 0.5\)
### Step 6: Conclusion
From the calculations:
- C2: Bond Order decreases from 2 to 1.5
- O2: Bond Order increases from 2 to 2.5
- N2: Bond Order decreases from 3 to 2.5
- H2: Bond Order decreases from 1 to 0.5
**The molecule that stabilizes by the removal of an electron is O2, as its bond order increases after the removal of an electron.**
