What is the result of combining atomic orbitals in the formation of molecular orbitals?

In the formation of molecular orbitals through the combination of atomic orbitals, the electrons are distributed in a delocalized manner. This delocalization means that the electrons are not confined to a specific area between two atoms but are spread out over a larger region in the molecule. This characteristic is a fundamental aspect of molecular orbital theory, which describes how atomic orbitals combine to form new orbitals that can be occupied by electrons.

When atomic orbitals overlap, they can form molecular orbitals that can be classified as bonding or antibonding. Bonding molecular orbitals lead to increased electron density between the nuclei of the bonded atoms, providing a stabilizing effect, while antibonding orbitals have a node between the nuclei and can destabilize the bond when occupied. The concept of delocalized electrons is especially important in understanding resonance in molecules and phenomena in conjugated systems.

Localized single electron orbits pertain more to atomic orbitals rather than molecular orbitals. The idea of fixed positions for electron locations disregards the probabilistic nature of electrons as described by quantum mechanics and contradicts the essence of molecular orbital theory. Similarly, the formation of only sigma bonds is too restrictive, as molecular orbitals can also include pi bonds and other types of