Department of Chemistry - Teaching

Bonding / Antibonding Orbitals of a Diatomic

This applet shows the MO diagram for the overlap of two AOs to give two MOs. Density plots show the form of the MOs, and plots of the MO wavefunctions along the internuclear axis are also shown.

  • Move the slider on the left up and down to alter the energy of the left-hand AO
  • You can display the wavefunction, or the square of the wavefunction, by clicking on the buttons

This webpage, and the applet it contains, was developed by Stephen Elliott as part of the web-based resources for the forthcoming First-Year Chemistry, by James Keeler and Peter Wothers, OUP (2008)