Chapter 6, Problem 68AP

The ${\text{Be}}_{\text{2}}$ molecule has been detected experimentally. It has a bond length of 2.45 Å and a bond dissociation energy of $\text{9}.{\text{46 kJ mol}}^{-\text{1}}$ . Write the ground-state electron configuration of ${\text{Be}}_{\text{2}}$ and predict its bond order using the theory developed in the text. Compare the experimental bonding data on ${\text{Be}}_{\text{2}}$ with those recorded for ${\text{B}}_{\text{2}},{\text{C}}_{\text{2}},{\text{N}}_{\text{2}},$ and ${\text{O}}_{\text{2}}$ in Table 6.3. Is the prediction that stems from the simple theory significantly incorrect?