Home > Organic Chemistry > Molecular Orbitals and Hybridizations

How do you determine pi and sigma bonds?

Answer 1

A #sigma#-bond is the first bond between two atoms, and a #pi#-bond is any bond in excess to that.

For two atoms to join they have to have at least one bond between them. This is the #sigma# bond.

Any bonds in excess to the #sigma# are called #pi#-bonds. For example, a double bond has one #sigma# and one #pi#, while a triple bond has one #sigma# and two #pi#. Whatever the bond, it can only ever have one #sigma#

On an #n#-bond, where #n# is the number of covalent bonds between two atoms, it is made of

#n -> sigma + (n-1)pi#

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Carter Allen

Pi bonds occur when two atomic orbitals overlap side by side, forming a bonding molecular orbital along the region of overlap. Sigma bonds occur when two atomic orbitals overlap head-on, forming a bonding molecular orbital along the axis connecting the nuclei. Pi bonds are typically found in double and triple bonds, while sigma bonds are present in single bonds.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.