According to Molecular Orbital Theory, which of the following represents the correct increasing order of bond lengths for the given oxygen species?

Step-by-step solution

The electronic configuration of O ₂ (16 electrons) is _ 1s ² _ 1s ^ *2 _ 2s ² _ 2s ^ *2 _ 2p_z ² _ 2p_x ² _ 2p_y ² _ 2p_x ^ *1 _ 2p_y ^ *1 . Bond order is given by 1 2 (N_b - N_a) . For O ₂ (16 electrons): N_b = 10 , N_a = 6 Bond order = 1 2 (10 - 6) = 2.0 For O ₂^+ (15 electrons): One electron is removed from the antibonding _ 2p ^ * orbital. N_b = 10 , N_a = 5 Bond order = 1 2 (10 - 5) = 2.5 For O ₂^- (17 electrons): One electron is added to the antibonding _ 2p ^ * orbital. N_b = 10 , N_a = 7 Bond order = 1 2 (1