The paramagnetic nature of oxygen molecules is best explained on the basis of

Options

A. Valence bond thoery
B. Resonance
C. Molecular orbital theory
D. Hybridization

Answer

To explain the paramagnetic nature of oxygen molecules (O₂), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understanding Paramagnetism
Paramagnetism is a property of materials that are attracted to magnetic fields due to the presence of unpaired electrons. In contrast, diamagnetic materials are repelled by magnetic fields and have all their electrons paired.

**Hint:** Remember that unpaired electrons contribute to the magnetic properties of a substance.

### Step 2: Electron Configuration of Oxygen
Oxygen has an atomic number of 8. The electron configuration for an oxygen atom is:
- 1s² 2s² 2p⁴

This means that in the 2p subshell, there are 4 electrons.

**Hint:** Focus on the outermost electrons, particularly in the p subshell, as they play a crucial role in bonding and magnetic properties.

### Step 3: Molecular Orbital Theory
To understand the behavior of O₂, we can apply Molecular Orbital (MO) theory. According to MO theory, atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals that can be occupied by electrons.

**Hint:** Recall that molecular orbitals can be bonding or antibonding, and they can hold a certain number of electrons.

### Step 4: Filling Molecular Orbitals for O₂
For O₂, the molecular orbital configuration is:
- (σ1s)² (σ*1s)² (σ2s)² (σ*2s)² (σ2p)² (π2p)² (π*2p)¹ (π*2p)¹

In this configuration, the π*2p orbitals each contain one unpaired electron.

**Hint:** Pay attention to the π* orbitals, as they are key to determining the magnetic properties of the molecule.

### Step 5: Conclusion on Paramagnetism
Since O₂ has two unpaired electrons in the π*2p molecular orbitals, it exhibits paramagnetism. This means that O₂ will be attracted to an external magnetic field.

**Hint:** Unpaired electrons are the reason for the attraction to magnetic fields, confirming the paramagnetic nature of O₂.

### Final Answer
The paramagnetic nature of oxygen molecules is best explained on the basis of the presence of unpaired electrons in its molecular orbitals, specifically in the π*2p orbitals.