In the pi* orbital of carbon monoxide (CO), the lobe on the carbon atom is bigge

Question

In the pi* orbital of carbon monoxide (CO), the lobe on the carbon atom is bigger than the lobe on the oxygen atom, but the reverse is true for the n orbital, What is the reason for this difference? Select one: a. The atomic p orbitaIs on oxygen are of higher energy, arid therefore they contribute more to then MO. b. The atomic p orbitaIs on carbon are of higher energy, and therefore they contribute more to the n* MO. c. The atomic p orbitaIs on carbon are larger because of the lower electronegativity of carbon, which leads to bigger MO lobes on carbon. d. The atomic p orbitaIs on oxygen are smaller because of the higher electronegativity of oxygen, which leads to smaller MO lobes on oxygen. e. The mixing of p orbitaIs on carbon and oxygen is better in the n MO than in the pi* MO.

Explanation / Answer

The difference in the lobe sizes in the carbon monoxide MO is attributed to,

e. The mixing of p-orbitals on carbon and oxygen is better in the pi MO than in the pi* MO.

There is an extra mixing of orbitals which leads to this effect in the MO.

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