1. What is Bond Order?

Bond Order (BO) is a measurement of the number of electron pairs shared between two atoms in a chemical bond. It indicates the strength and stability of a bond between atoms.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Bond Order formula:

Where:

• Valence electrons — Electrons in the outer shell of an atom
• Nonbonding electrons — Lone pair electrons not involved in bonding
• Bonds — Number of chemical bonds between the atoms

Explanation: The equation calculates how many electron pairs are shared per bond between two atoms.

3. Importance of Bond Order

Details: Bond order helps predict bond length (higher BO = shorter bond), bond strength (higher BO = stronger bond), and magnetic properties of molecules.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the total valence electrons, nonbonding electrons, and number of bonds. All values must be non-negative integers, with bonds ≥1.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a bond order of 1, 2, or 3 mean?
A: BO=1 is a single bond, BO=2 is a double bond, BO=3 is a triple bond. Fractional values indicate resonance structures.

Q2: Can bond order be zero or negative?
A: BO=0 means no bond exists. Negative values are not physically meaningful and indicate calculation errors.

Q3: How does bond order relate to bond energy?
A: Higher bond order generally means greater bond energy (stronger bond) and shorter bond length.

Q4: What's the bond order in O2 molecule?
A: O2 has a bond order of 2 (double bond), though molecular orbital theory predicts BO=2 with two unpaired electrons.

Q5: How to calculate bond order from molecular orbitals?
A: BO = (number of bonding electrons - number of antibonding electrons)/2