Question

The bond-order of superoxide ion is:

• A. $1$
• B. $1.5$
• C. $2$
• D. $2.5$

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

$1.5$

Molecular orbital configuration is:
$\sigma 1s^2{\sigma }^{\ast }1s^2\sigma 2s^2{\sigma }^{\ast }2s^2\sigma 2p_x^2\pi 2p_y^2\pi 2p_z^2{\pi }^{\ast }2p_y^2{\pi }^{\ast }2p_z^1$
So the bond order comes out to be $1.5$.