Qualitative MO theory

Qualitative molecular orbital (MO) theory is a way of building up a simple picture of the molecular orbitals of a molecule using a few basic rules.

The ideas discussed in this section will allow you to make 'back-of-the-envelope' predictions and allow you to interpret the results from more sophisticated calculations.

  1. Atomic orbitals to molecular orbitals
  2. Molecular orbitals for H2O and CH2
  3. Symmetry tutorial
  4. MOs for methyl: CH3., CH3+, CH3-
  5. Walsh diagrams
  6. Qualitative MO theory comprehension test