Where are the electrons most probably located in a molecular bonding orbital?

1 Answer
Aug 19, 2016

In a bonding orbital? Surely the electrons would tend to be located BETWEEN the bound nuclei.

Explanation:

The modern chemical bond is conceived to be a region of high electron density between 2 positively charged atomic nuclei such the internuclear repulsion is negated and a net attractive force results.

Of course, the electron density of multiple bonds are considered to lie above and below the planes of the atom-atom vector, but the principle remains. You should look in a text for maps of electron density in bonding and anti-bonding orbitals.