What are the major differences between valence bond theory & Molecular Orbital Theory?

<p>You can check the below given table for the comarative differences between valence bond theory and molecular orbital theory.</p><table><thead><tr><th>Feature</th><th>Valence Bond Theory (VBT)</th><th>Molecular Orbital Theory (MOT)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Basic Concept</strong></td><td>Overlap of atomic orbitals.</td><td>Atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Bond Formation</strong></td><td>Due to head-on (? ) or sideways (? ) overlap of atomic orbitals.</td><td>Linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) to form bonding and antibonding MOs.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Explanation of Magnetic Behavior</strong></td><td>Often fails to explain magnetism of molecules (e.g., O? is paramagnetic).</td><td>Accurately explains paramagnetism/diamagnetism (O? is paramagnetic due to unpaired electrons in antibonding orbitals).</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Bond Order&nbsp;</strong></td><td>Not clearly defined.</td><td>Bond order = ½ (No. of bonding electrons - No. of antibonding electrons)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Electron Delocalization</strong></td><td>Electrons are localized between two atoms.</td><td>Electrons may be delocalized over multiple atoms.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Energy Consideration</strong></td><td>Considers only overlapping orbitals and their energy.</td><td>Considers combination and energy differences of atomic orbitals.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Applicability</strong></td><td>Works well for simple molecules like H? , HF, etc.</td><td>Better for explaining molecules like O? , N? , and ions like NO? , CN? </td></tr></tbody></table>

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