THEORIES OF BONDING

Chemical bonds form when two atoms approach each other and the attractive
forces are greater than the repulsive forces.

In addition to attractive and repulsive forces and the interatomic distance,

chemical bonding is also influenced by the shapes of orbitals in atoms and
molecules, the number of valence electrons available in the bonding atoms, and the
relative energies of the orbitals involved in bond formation.
The two models of chemical bonding that address these factors are valence bond
theory and molecular orbital theory.
Valence bond theory and molecular orbital theory share many assumptions, but
also differ in many ways. The two theories are similar in that both assume that
bonds occur due the sharing of electrons between atoms;
the attraction of bonding electrons to the nuclei of the bonded atoms leads to
lower energy, and therefore the formation of a bond; and
two types of bonds can form (sigma and pi).
The two theories differ in how they describe the location of the electrons in
bonding orbitals, how they explain the energy of electrons, and how they explain
the presence of unpaired electrons in molecules.
While molecular orbital theory is the more accurate and more broadly useful of the
two theories, valence bond theory is easier to use.
For example, valence bond theory predicts shapes of compounds made up of p-
block elements. Molecular orbital theory, on the other hand, predicts molecular
shapes but only after a more complicated process.
Therefore, when discussing the shapes of species made up of p-block elements,
chemists invariably use VB theory. When discussing orbital energies, electronic
transitions between orbitals, or bonding in, for example, transition metal
compounds, chemists use the more complex molecular orbital theory.
At times, the two theories are used in concern to describe different aspects of
chemical bonding in a single large molecule.