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Using molecular orbital theory, calculate the bond order of the carbon monoxide molecule (CO). Show your work and explain how the bond order relates to the stability of the molecule.

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To calculate the bond order of the carbon monoxide  CO  molecule using molecular orbital theory, we first need to determine the electronic configuration of the molecule.Carbon has 6 electrons and oxygen has 8 electrons, so CO has a total of 14 electrons. The molecular orbitals of CO are filled in the following order:  1s , * 1s ,  2s , * 2s ,  2pz ,  2px  =  2py , * 2px  = * 2py .Now, let's fill the molecular orbitals with the 14 electrons:1.  1s  - 2 electrons2. * 1s  - 2 electrons3.  2s  - 2 electrons4. * 2s  - 2 electrons5.  2pz  - 2 electrons6.  2px  =  2py  - 4 electrons  2 in each orbital 7. * 2px  = * 2py  - 0 electrons  none left Now we can calculate the bond order using the formula:Bond order =  number of electrons in bonding orbitals - number of electrons in antibonding orbitals  / 2Bond order =  10 - 4  / 2 = 6 / 2 = 3The bond order of the carbon monoxide molecule  CO  is 3.A higher bond order indicates a stronger and more stable bond. In the case of CO, the bond order of 3 suggests a strong triple bond between the carbon and oxygen atoms, making the molecule quite stable.
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