Which of the following molecules is paramagnetic?

Step-by-step solution

According to molecular orbital theory, the electronic configurations of the given molecules are written to determine the presence of unpaired electrons. Li ₂ ( 6 electrons): _ 1s ² _ 1s ^ *2 _ 2s ² Since all electrons are paired, it is diamagnetic. N ₂ ( 14 electrons): _ 1s ² _ 1s ^ *2 _ 2s ² _ 2s ^ *2 _ 2p_x ² _ 2p_y ² _ 2p_z ² Since all electrons are paired, it is diamagnetic. O ₂ ( 16 electrons): _ 1s ² _ 1s ^ *2 _ 2s ² _ 2s ^ *2 _ 2p_z ² _ 2p_x ² _ 2p_y ² _ 2p_x ^ *1 _ 2p_y ^ *1 Due to the presence of two unpai