Which of the following compounds is the most stable?

• A. Cl\(_2\)
• B. F\(_2\)
• C. O\(_2\)
• D. N\(_2\)

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand that the stability of diatomic molecules like Cl\(_2\), F\(_2\), O\(_2\), and N\(_2\) can be analyzed by considering their bond order, which is derived from molecular orbital (MO) theory.
2. Step 2: Recall that bond order is calculated using the formula: \(\text{Bond order} = \frac{(\text{number of bonding electrons}) - (\text{number of antibonding electrons})}{2}\).
3. Step 3: Write the electron configurations for each molecule in terms of molecular orbitals, filling bonding and antibonding orbitals according to the Aufbau principle and Pauli exclusion principle.
4. Step 4: Calculate the bond order for each molecule using the electron counts from their MO diagrams. A higher bond order generally indicates a stronger and more stable bond.
5. Step 5: Compare the bond orders of Cl\(_2\), F\(_2\), O\(_2\), and N\(_2\). The molecule with the highest bond order will be the most stable, which explains why N\(_2\) is the correct answer.