Predict whether each of the following oxides is ionic or molecular: \(\mathrm{SnO}_{2}, \mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}, \mathrm{CO}_{2}, \mathrm{Li}_{2} \mathrm{O}, \mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}, \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\).
Text Transcription:
SnO2, Al2O3, CO2, Li2O, Fe2O3, H2O
Step 1 of 5) Some aspects of bonding are better explained by a more sophisticated model called molecular orbital theory. In Chapter 6 we saw that electrons in atoms can be described by wave functions, which we call atomic orbitals. In a similar way, molecular orbital theory describes the electrons in molecules by using specific wave functions, each of which is called a molecular orbital (MO). Molecular orbitals have many of the same characteristics as atomic orbitals. For example, an MO can hold a maximum of two electrons (with opposite spins), it has a definite energy, and we can visualize its electron-density distribution by using a contour representation, as we did with atomic orbitals. Unlike atomic orbitals, however, MOs are associated with an entire molecule, not with a single atom.
