To calculate the bond order of the NO molecule using molecular orbital theory, we need to first determine the molecular orbitals and their electron configurations. For diatomic molecules like NO, we can use the molecular orbital diagram for homonuclear diatomic molecules e.g., N2, O2 as a reference, with some modifications due to the different atomic species. The molecular orbitals for NO are formed by the overlap of atomic orbitals from the nitrogen and oxygen atoms. The valence electrons of nitrogen N and oxygen O are in the 2s and 2p orbitals. In the molecular orbital diagram, these atomic orbitals combine to form the following molecular orbitals:1. 2s and *2s from the overlap of 2s orbitals 2. 2p, 2p, *2p, and *2p from the overlap of 2p orbitals Now, let's fill the molecular orbitals with the total valence electrons from both atoms. Nitrogen has 4 valence electrons and oxygen has 6 valence electrons, giving a total of 10 valence electrons.The molecular orbitals are filled in the following order:1. 2s 2 electrons 2. *2s 2 electrons 3. 2p 2 electrons 4. 2p 4 electrons The bond order can be calculated using the formula:Bond Order = Number of electrons in bonding orbitals - Number of electrons in antibonding orbitals / 2In the case of NO:Bond Order = 2 + 2 + 4 - 2 / 2 = 6 / 2 = 3Therefore, the bond order of the NO molecule is 3.