What is the bond order of the molecule O_2^+?

• A. 2
• B. 2.5
• C. 1.5
• D. 3

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that bond order is calculated using the formula: \(\text{Bond order} = \frac{\text{Number of bonding electrons} - \text{Number of antibonding electrons}}{2}\).
2. Determine the total number of electrons in the neutral O\(_2\) molecule. Oxygen has 8 electrons, so O\(_2\) has \$8 \times 2 = 16$ electrons.
3. Since the molecule is O\(_2^+\), it has one less electron than neutral O\(_2\), so total electrons = 15.
4. Write the molecular orbital (MO) electron configuration for O\(_2^+\), filling orbitals in order and considering the correct energy level ordering for O\(_2\) (which is: \(\sigma_{2s}\), \(\sigma^*_{2s}\), \(\sigma_{2p_z}\), \(\pi_{2p_x} = \pi_{2p_y}\), \(\pi^*_{2p_x} = \pi^*_{2p_y}\), \(\sigma^*_{2p_z}\)).
5. Count the number of electrons in bonding and antibonding orbitals from the MO configuration, then apply the bond order formula to find the bond order of O\(_2^+\).