What are the molecular orbital configurations for $N_{2}^{+}$ $N_2^+$ , $N_{2}^{2 +}$ $N_2 ^(2+)$ , $N_{2}$ $N_2$ , $N_{2}^{-}$ $N_2^-$ , and $N_{2}^{2 -}$ $N_2^(2-)$ ?

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What are the molecular orbital configurations for $N_{2}^{+}$ $N_2^+$ , $N_{2}^{2 +}$ $N_2 ^(2+)$ , $N_{2}$ $N_2$ , $N_{2}^{-}$ $N_2^-$ , and $N_{2}^{2 -}$ $N_2^(2-)$ ?

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Answer 1 · 2015-11-02T21:45:13

If we build the MO diagram for $N_{2}$ $"N"_2$ , it looks like this:

![ www.ch.ic.ac.uk )

First though, notice that the $p$ $p$ orbitals are supposed to be degenerate. They weren't drawn that way on this diagram, but they should be. Anyways, for the electron configurations, you would use a notation like the above.

g means "gerade", or even symmetry upon inversion, and u means "ungerade", or odd symmetry upon inversion. It's not crucial that you memorize which ones are gerade and which ones are ungerade, because the $π_{g}$ $pi_g$ are antibonding, yet the $σ_{u}$ $sigma_u$ are also antibonding, for example.

That is why I will use the easier notation to understand---the $*$ $"*"$ notation. In here, $σ$ $sigma$ $*$ $"*"$ and $π$ $pi$ $*$ $"*"$ are both antibonding. However, I will provide both if you want to compare.

If we write the configurations, they look like this:

$N_{2}$ $"N"_2$ :

${[core 1 s]}^{2} {(1 σ_{g})}_{g}^{2} {(1 σ_{u})}_{u}^{2} {(π_{u}^{x})}^{2} {(π_{u}^{y})}^{2} {(2 σ_{g})}_{g}^{2} {(π_{g}^{x})}^{0} {(π_{g}^{y})}^{0} {(2 σ_{u})}_{u}^{0}$ $["core 1"s]^2(1sigma_(g))^2(1sigma_(u))^2(pi_u^x)^2(pi_u^y)^2 (2sigma_(g))^2color(red)((pi_g^x)^0(pi_g^y)^0(2sigma_u)^0)$

or

${[core 1 s]}^{2} {(σ_{2s})}_{2s}^{2} {(σ_{2s}^{*})}^{2} {(π_{2px})}_{2px}^{2} {(π_{2py})}_{2py}^{2} {(σ_{2pz})}_{2pz}^{2} {(π_{2px}^{*})}^{0} {(π_{2py}^{*})}^{0} {(σ_{2pz}^{*})}^{0}$ $["core 1"s]^2(sigma_"2s")^2(sigma_"2s"^"*")^2(pi_"2px")^2(pi_"2py")^2 (sigma_"2pz")^2color(red)((pi_"2px"^"*")^0(pi_"2py"^"*")^0(sigma_"2pz"^"*")^0)$

The red labels indicate that they are empty for neutral $N_{2}$ $"N"_2$ and you do not have to write them out.

Then if you want to do it for the ions, you just take out or add in electrons to the red-labeled configuration portions. Again, I will use the $*$ $"*"$ notation because I find it easier to remember which MOs are antibonding/bonding.

$N_{2}^{+}$ $"N"_2^(+)$ :

${[core 1 s]}^{2} {(σ_{2s})}_{2s}^{2} {(σ_{2s}^{*})}^{2} {(π_{2px})}_{2px}^{2} {(π_{2py})}_{2py}^{2} {(σ_{2pz})}_{2pz}^{1} {(π_{2px}^{*})}^{0} {(π_{2py}^{*})}^{0} {(σ_{2pz}^{*})}^{0}$ $["core 1"s]^2(sigma_"2s")^2(sigma_"2s"^"*")^2(pi_"2px")^2(pi_"2py")^2 (sigma_"2pz")^1color(red)((pi_"2px"^"*")^0(pi_"2py"^"*")^0(sigma_"2pz"^"*")^0)$

$N_{2}^{2 +}$ $"N"_2^(2+)$ :

${[core 1 s]}^{2} {(σ_{2s})}_{2s}^{2} {(σ_{2s}^{*})}^{2} {(π_{2px})}_{2px}^{2} {(π_{2py})}_{2py}^{2} {(σ_{2pz})}_{2pz}^{0} {(π_{2px}^{*})}^{0} {(π_{2py}^{*})}^{0} {(σ_{2pz}^{*})}^{0}$ $["core 1"s]^2(sigma_"2s")^2(sigma_"2s"^"*")^2(pi_"2px")^2(pi_"2py")^2 color(red)((sigma_"2pz")^0(pi_"2px"^"*")^0(pi_"2py"^"*")^0(sigma_"2pz"^"*")^0)$

$N_{2}^{-}$ $"N"_2^(-)$ :

${[core 1 s]}^{2} {(σ_{2s})}_{2s}^{2} {(σ_{2s}^{*})}^{2} {(π_{2px})}_{2px}^{2} {(π_{2py})}_{2py}^{2} {(σ_{2pz})}_{2pz}^{2} {(π_{2px}^{*})}^{1} {(π_{2py}^{*})}^{0} {(σ_{2pz}^{*})}^{0}$ $["core 1"s]^2(sigma_"2s")^2(sigma_"2s"^"*")^2(pi_"2px")^2(pi_"2py")^2 (sigma_"2pz")^2(pi_"2px"^"*")^1color(red)((pi_"2py"^"*")^0(sigma_"2pz"^"*")^0)$

$N_{2}^{2 -}$ $"N"_2^(2-)$ :

${[core 1 s]}^{2} {(σ_{2s})}_{2s}^{2} {(σ_{2s}^{*})}^{2} {(π_{2px})}_{2px}^{2} {(π_{2py})}_{2py}^{2} {(σ_{2pz})}_{2pz}^{2} {(π_{2px}^{*})}^{1} {(π_{2py}^{*})}^{1} {(σ_{2pz}^{*})}^{0}$ $["core 1"s]^2(sigma_"2s")^2(sigma_"2s"^"*")^2(pi_"2px")^2(pi_"2py")^2 (sigma_"2pz")^2(pi_"2px"^"*")^1(pi_"2py"^"*")^1color(red)((sigma_"2pz"^"*")^0)$

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What are the molecular orbital configurations for $N_{2}^{+}$ $N_2^+$ , $N_{2}^{2 +}$ $N_2 ^(2+)$ , $N_{2}$ $N_2$ , $N_{2}^{-}$ $N_2^-$ , and $N_{2}^{2 -}$ $N_2^(2-)$ ?

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What are the molecular orbital configurations for $N_{2}^{+}$ $N_2^+$ , $N_{2}^{2 +}$ $N_2 ^(2+)$ , $N_{2}$ $N_2$ , $N_{2}^{-}$ $N_2^-$ , and $N_{2}^{2 -}$ $N_2^(2-)$ ?