The magnetic moment of a molecule is determined by the number of unpaired electrons in its molecular orbitals. In the case of nitric oxide NO , the ground state electronic configuration is:N 1s 2s 2p + O 1s 2s 2p NO 1 2 1 3 2 In this configuration, there are 3 unpaired electrons in the 2 molecular orbitals. The magnetic moment can be calculated using the formula: = n n+2 where n is the number of unpaired electronsFor NO in its ground state, n = 3, so: = 3 3+2 = 15 Bohr magnetonsUpon excitation to its first excited state, one of the unpaired electrons in the 2 orbital will be promoted to a higher energy level, resulting in only 2 unpaired electrons. The magnetic moment in the first excited state will be: = 2 2+2 = 8 Bohr magnetonsSo, the magnetic moment of NO in its ground state is 15 Bohr magnetons, and it decreases to 8 Bohr magnetons upon excitation to its first excited state.