How is bond order calculated?

Bond order is a measure of the stability and strength of a chemical bond. It is calculated as the difference between the number of bonding electrons and the number of antibonding electrons, divided by two. This is expressed by the formula:

[

\text{Bond Order} = \frac{(\text{number of bonding electrons} - \text{number of antibonding electrons})}{2}

]

This calculation provides insight into the characteristics of the bond: a higher bond order indicates a stronger, more stable bond, while a bond order of zero suggests that the bond is unstable or nonexistent.

When bonding electrons are in a lower-energy state and contribute to bond formation, while antibonding electrons exist in a higher-energy state and oppose the bond, it becomes clear why the counting involves subtraction. If the number of bonding electrons is higher than that of the antibonding electrons, this results in a positive bond order, reflecting a stable bond.

The other options do not accurately represent how bond order is defined or calculated in accordance with molecular orbital theory. For example, simply adding bonding and antibonding electrons or dividing bonding by antibonding would not yield a meaningful measure of bond stability or strength. By using the correct formula, one