The hydroxyl radical, OH, is important not only in atmospheric chemistry but also in cell biology, as it participates in biochemical reactions as a free radical.
a. Formulate the electronic structure of OH in terms of MO theory. Use only the oxygen 2p and hydrogen 1s atomic orbitals.
b. Which type of MO (σ,σ*,π,π*) contains the unpaired electron?
c. In terms of reactivity and chemistry, why are the other oxygen and hydrogen atomic orbitals not important in OH?
d. Is the orbital you specified in part (b) associated with both constituent atoms or is it localized on a single atom?
e. Based on your MO diagram what is the bond order of OH?
f. Compare your answers in (d) and (e) to the Lewis dot structure of OH.