Answer to Question #84661 in Inorganic Chemistry for Anuj

Question

Explain the paramagnetic nature of oxygen molecule using molecular orbital theory.

Answer 1

The reason that it is paramagnetic is because the oxygen molecule has two unpaired electrons. Electrons not only go around the atom in their orbitals, they also spin, which creates a magnetic field. Unpaired electrons spin in the same direction as each other, which increases the magnetic field effect. When the electron in an orbital become paired with another electron in that orbital, the new electron spins in the opposite direction and this cancels the effect of the first electron.