The bond order of individual carbon-carbon bond in benzene is

Options

A. One
B. Two
C. Between 1 and 2
D. 1 and 2 alternately

Answer

To determine the bond order of individual carbon-carbon bonds in benzene, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Structure of Benzene
Benzene (C₆H₆) is a cyclic compound consisting of six carbon atoms arranged in a ring, with alternating single and double bonds. However, in reality, benzene does not have distinct single or double bonds due to resonance.

**Hint:** Recall that benzene has a hexagonal structure with equal bond lengths.

### Step 2: Recognize the Concept of Resonance
Benzene exhibits resonance, meaning that the double bonds are not fixed in one position. Instead, the pi electrons are delocalized over the entire ring structure. This results in multiple resonance structures that can be drawn.

**Hint:** Think about how the double bonds can shift positions in benzene.

### Step 3: Draw the Resonance Structures
You can draw two resonance structures of benzene, where the positions of the double bonds are swapped. This illustrates that the double bonds are not static but can move around the ring.

**Hint:** Visualize how the double bonds can be represented in different locations around the benzene ring.

### Step 4: Determine the Bond Order
The bond order is calculated as the number of bonding pairs of electrons divided by the number of bonds. In benzene, each carbon-carbon bond has characteristics of both single and double bonds due to resonance.

Since there are three double bonds in the resonance structures, but they are delocalized, the effective bond order for each carbon-carbon bond in benzene is calculated as follows:
- Total bonds (considering resonance) = 6 C-C bonds
- Total bonding pairs = 3 (from the three double bonds)
- Bond order = Total bonding pairs / Total bonds = 3/2 = 1.5

**Hint:** Remember that resonance leads to an average bond order that is different from whole numbers.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Thus, the bond order of individual carbon-carbon bonds in benzene is 1.5, which is between 1 and 2.

**Final Answer:** The bond order of individual carbon-carbon bonds in benzene is between 1 and 2.