Question

List out any 5 differences between Atomic Orbital and Molecular Orbital?

Answer 1

Hint: We all know that orbital is defined as the three- dimensional region where the probability of finding an electron is maximum. There is about \[95\% \] probability of finding the electron. There are two types of orbital present i.e. atomic and molecular orbital.

Complete answer:
First, understand the difference between a shell, subshell and an orbital. A shell is the pathway followed by electrons around an atom’s nucleus whereas a subshell is the pathway followed by electron moves within the shell. An orbital is a mathematical function which describes the wave-like behavior of an electron.
Orbital is defined as the three- dimensional region where the probability of finding an electron is maximum i.e. they have \[95\% \] probability of finding an electron.
There are two types of orbitals i.e. atomic orbital and molecular orbital. The main difference between these two orbitals is that the atomic orbital contains electrons which are influenced by one positive nucleus , whereas in case of molecular orbitals, it contains electrons which are influenced by more than two nuclei depending upon the number of atoms in a molecule.
 The difference between the two orbital based on different factors are as follows:

S.no.	Atomic orbital	Molecular orbital
\[1.\]	It defines the wave like behavior of single electron or electron pair in an atom	It defines the wave-like behavior of a single electron in a molecule.
\[2.\]	It is the region which consists of the highest possibility of finding an electron in an atom	It is the region which consists of the highest possibility of finding an electron in an molecule
\[3.\]	They are found as s, p, d, f orbitals.	They consist of bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals.
\[4.\]	It is monocentric as it is found near a single nucleus.	It is polycentric as it is found near two or more different nuclei.
\[5.\]	The atomic orbital such as s, p, d, f determine its shape.	The shape of the atomic orbitals that make up the molecule determines its shape.
\[6.\]	The electronic configuration does not affect the stability of an atom.	The electronic configuration does affect the stability of an atom.

Note:
It is noted that the main difference between these two orbitals is that the atomic orbital contains electrons which are influenced by one positive nucleus and the molecular orbital contains electrons which are influenced by more than two nuclei depending upon the number of atoms in a molecule.