The bond order of the N-O bond in nitric oxide NO can be determined by analyzing its molecular orbital diagram and configuration. Nitric oxide has 11 valence electrons 5 from nitrogen and 6 from oxygen . The molecular orbital configuration for NO is: 1s ^2 * 1s ^2 2s ^2 * 2s ^2 2px ^2 2py ^2 2pz ^1The bond order can be calculated using the formula:Bond order = number of electrons in bonding orbitals - number of electrons in antibonding orbitals / 2Bond order = 8 - 4 / 2 = 4 / 2 = 2So, the bond order of the N-O bond in nitric oxide NO is 2.The bond length of the N-O bond in nitric oxide is experimentally determined to be approximately 1.15 115 picometers . This bond length is shorter than a typical single bond between nitrogen and oxygen 1.47 and longer than a typical double bond between nitrogen and oxygen 1.21 , which is consistent with the bond order of 2.