Ch.9 - Bonding & Molecular StructureWorksheetSee all chapters
All Chapters
Ch.1 - Intro to General Chemistry
Ch.2 - Atoms & Elements
Ch.3 - Chemical Reactions
BONUS: Lab Techniques and Procedures
BONUS: Mathematical Operations and Functions
Ch.4 - Chemical Quantities & Aqueous Reactions
Ch.5 - Gases
Ch.6 - Thermochemistry
Ch.7 - Quantum Mechanics
Ch.8 - Periodic Properties of the Elements
Ch.9 - Bonding & Molecular Structure
Ch.10 - Molecular Shapes & Valence Bond Theory
Ch.11 - Liquids, Solids & Intermolecular Forces
Ch.12 - Solutions
Ch.13 - Chemical Kinetics
Ch.14 - Chemical Equilibrium
Ch.15 - Acid and Base Equilibrium
Ch.16 - Aqueous Equilibrium
Ch. 17 - Chemical Thermodynamics
Ch.18 - Electrochemistry
Ch.19 - Nuclear Chemistry
Ch.20 - Organic Chemistry
Ch.22 - Chemistry of the Nonmetals
Ch.23 - Transition Metals and Coordination Compounds
Sections
Lewis Dot Symbols
Chemical Bonds
Dipole Moment
Octet Rule
Formal Charge
Lewis Dot Structures: Neutral Compounds
Lewis Dot Structures: Sigma & Pi Bonds
Lewis Dot Structures: Ions
Lewis Dot Structures: Exceptions
Lewis Dot Structures: Acids
Resonance Structures
Average Bond Order
Bond Energy
Coulomb's Law
Lattice Energy
Born Haber Cycle
Additional Practice
Lewis Dot Structure: Formal Charge
LearnAdditional Practice
Next SectionBond Energy

Average Bond Order represents the average number of chemical bonds between a pair of bond elements.

Average Bond Order

Concept #1: Average Bond Order

A single bond has a bond order of 1, a double bond has a bond order of 2, and a triple bond has a bond of 3. 

Example #1: What is the average bond order of the sulfur–oxygen bonds within the sulfite ion?

Practice: What is the bond order of the phosphate–oxygen bonds within the phosphate ion, PO43–?

Previous SectionResonance Structures
Next SectionBond Energy
Additional Problems
In the resonance hybrid or experimentally determined structure of the nitrate ion (NO 3- ) it is observed that a. All the bonds are single bonds b. All the bonds are double bonds c. All the bonds have a bond order of 1.33 d. One bond is a double bond and the others are single bonds e. There are 23 valence electrons 
Which of the following compounds would be expected to have the longest N-O bonds? 1. NO 2. they will all be the same 3. NO3- 4. NO2-
Which of the following structures is lower in energy?
Which statement best describes an O 3 molecule?i) Each atom in ozone is connected to another atom by a bond having a bond order of 1.5.ii) The double bond in ozone switches back and forth between the two outer oxygen atoms.iii) An ozone molecule contains one single bond and one double bond.
A single Lewis Structure of the formate ion (HCO 2-) is shown below. Which statement best describes the bonding character of this ion?(a) One double bond and two single bonds(b) One double bond and two delocalized single bonds(c) Three equivalent 1 1/3 bonds(d) One single bond and two equivalent 1 1/2 bonds(e) 007 James Bonds
Which statement best describes an O 3 molecule?a) Each atom in ozone is connected to another atom by a bond having a bond order of 1.5.b) The double bond in ozone switches back and forth between the two outer oxygen atoms.c) An ozone molecule contains one single bond and one double bond.
The bond order for a molecule is the number of bonds between a pair of atoms. For example, for the oxygen molecule, O = O, the bond order is two; for the hydrogen molecule, H - H, the bond order is one. Bond order indicates the strength of the bond. Consider the four resonating structures of the phosphate ion: Calculate the average bond order for a P - O bond (such as the one shown in blue) in a phosphate ion. Express your answer numerically as a decimal or improper fraction.