Question

What term is used to describe a bond formed by the overlap of orbitals in an end-to-end fashion, with the electron density concentrated between the nuclei of the bonding atoms?

Answer 1

sigma bond

It is necessary to distinguish between the two types of covalent bonds in a C 2 H 4 molecule. A sigma bond   bond  is a bond formed by the overlap of orbitals in an end-to-end fashion, with the electron density concentrated between the nuclei of the bonding atoms. A pi bond   bond  is a bond formed by the overlap of orbitals in a side-by-side fashion, with the electron density concentrated above and below the plane of the nuclei of the bonding atoms. Figure below shows the two types of bonding in C 2 H 4 . The sp 2 hybrid orbitals are orange and the p z orbital is green. Three sigma bonds are formed by each carbon atom with its hybrid orbitals. The pi bond is the second bond of the double bond between the carbon atoms and is shown as an elongated blue lobe that extends both above and below the plane of the molecule, which contains the six atoms and all of the sigma bonds.