Which of the following stability order is correct ?

Options

A. `O_(2)^(2-) gt O_(2)^(-) gt O_(2) gt O_(2)^(+)`
B. `O_(2)^(+) gt O_(2) gt O_(2)^(-) gt O_(2)^(2-)`
C. `O_(2)^(+) gt O_(2) gt O_(2)^(-) gt O_(2)^(2-)`
D. `O_(2) gt O_(2)^(+) gt O_(2) gt O_(2)^(-)`

Explanation

To determine the correct stability order of the given molecular species (O2+, O2, O2-, O2^2-), we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the number of electrons in each species
- O2+: 15 electrons
- O2: 16 electrons
- O2-: 17 electrons
- O2^2-: 18 electrons

### Step 2: Calculate the bond order for each species
The bond order can be calculated using the formula:
\[ \text{Bond Order} = \frac{(\text{Number of bonding electrons} - \text{Number of antibonding electrons})}{2} \]

For diatomic oxygen species, we can use the following bond order values based on the number of electrons:
- O2+: Bond order = 2.5
- O2: Bond order = 2
- O2-: Bond order = 1.5
- O2^2-: Bond order = 1

### Step 3: Determine the stability based on bond order
The stability of a molecule is directly proportional to its bond order. Thus, the higher the bond order, the more stable the molecule. Based on the bond orders calculated:
- O2^2- (Bond order = 1) - Least stable
- O2- (Bond order = 1.5) - Less stable
- O2 (Bond order = 2) - More stable
- O2+ (Bond order = 2.5) - Most stable

### Step 4: Arrange the species in order of stability
From the bond orders, we can arrange the species in the order of stability:
1. O2+ (most stable)
2. O2
3. O2-
4. O2^2- (least stable)

### Final Stability Order
The correct stability order is:
**O2+ > O2 > O2- > O2^2-**

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