During the formation of a molecular orbital from atomic orbital , the electron density is :

Options

A. Minimum in the nodal plane
B. Maximum in the nodal plane
C. Zero in the nodal plane
D. Zero on the surface of the lobe

Answer

To solve the question regarding the electron density during the formation of a molecular orbital from atomic orbitals, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Atomic Orbitals**:
- Atomic orbitals are regions in an atom where there is a high probability of finding electrons. When two atomic orbitals combine, they form molecular orbitals.

**Hint**: Remember that atomic orbitals can be s, p, d, etc., and they have specific shapes and orientations.

2. **Formation of Molecular Orbitals**:
- When atomic orbitals combine, they can either constructively or destructively interfere to form molecular orbitals. This process leads to regions of high and low electron density.

**Hint**: Constructive interference leads to bonding molecular orbitals, while destructive interference leads to antibonding molecular orbitals.

3. **Identifying the Nodal Plane**:
- A nodal plane is a region where the probability of finding an electron is zero. In molecular orbitals, this is where the wave functions of the atomic orbitals cancel each other out.

**Hint**: Visualize the shapes of the orbitals; the nodal plane is where the lobes of the orbitals meet and cancel out.

4. **Electron Density in the Nodal Plane**:
- In the nodal plane, the electron density is zero because there are no electrons present in that region. This is a key characteristic of nodal planes.

**Hint**: Recall that the definition of a nodal plane is crucial to understanding where electron density is absent.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Based on the understanding of nodal planes and electron density, we conclude that during the formation of molecular orbitals from atomic orbitals, the electron density is zero in the nodal plane.

**Final Answer**: The correct answer is "zero in the nodal plane."