The bond order of a molecule is a measure of the number of chemical bonds between a pair of atoms in a molecule. It is an important factor in determining the stability of a molecule, as it is directly related to the electronic structure of the molecule and the distribution of electrons in molecular orbitals.In molecular orbital theory, atomic orbitals of individual atoms combine to form molecular orbitals, which are distributed over the entire molecule. These molecular orbitals can be bonding, non-bonding, or anti-bonding in nature. Bonding orbitals are lower in energy and result in a more stable configuration, while anti-bonding orbitals are higher in energy and lead to a less stable configuration.The bond order can be calculated using the following formula:Bond order = number of electrons in bonding orbitals - number of electrons in anti-bonding orbitals / 2A higher bond order indicates a stronger bond and a more stable molecule, while a lower bond order indicates a weaker bond and a less stable molecule. For example, a bond order of 1 corresponds to a single bond, a bond order of 2 corresponds to a double bond, and a bond order of 3 corresponds to a triple bond. Molecules with a bond order of zero are considered unstable and do not exist as stable species.In summary, the bond order of a molecule is directly related to its stability based on the electronic structure calculations of molecular orbitals. A higher bond order, which results from a greater number of electrons in bonding orbitals and fewer electrons in anti-bonding orbitals, leads to a more stable molecule. Conversely, a lower bond order, with fewer electrons in bonding orbitals and more electrons in anti-bonding orbitals, results in a less stable molecule.