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Topic: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?  (Read 6594 times)

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Offline Chaste

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Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« on: September 20, 2008, 11:09:41 PM »
Can anyone explain that in terms of molecular energy level diagram preferably?
Thanks.

Offline Yggdrasil

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Re: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2008, 11:15:43 PM »
Have you drawn the molecular orbital diagram for NO?

Offline Chaste

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Re: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2008, 11:48:31 PM »
yep yep I've drawn the MO diagram for NO. so I can drawn reference from your textual explanations.

Offline Yggdrasil

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Re: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2008, 12:58:10 AM »
Do you notice anything strange about the MO diagram, such as unfilled levels or unpaired electrons?

Offline Chaste

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Re: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2008, 10:18:00 PM »
There is 1 unpaired electron at the pi* 2p hybridized orbital. Does that mean, that electron being in a higher enery antibonding orbital is unstable compared to the rest and requires less energy to get ionized?

Offline Yggdrasil

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Re: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2008, 02:48:22 AM »
In general, compounds that contain an unpaired electrons (i.e. radical) are fairly unstable and have a preference for getting rid of the unpaired electron.  Furthermore, the unpaired electron resides in an antibonding orbital which makes the electron destabilize the N-O bond.

Offline Chaste

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Re: Why does NO tend to lose an electron to form an NO+ ion?
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2008, 09:48:44 PM »
Thanks for replying.

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