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Molecular Orbital Theory applied to CH4

1. Introduction
2. The Symmetry of CH4
3. Character Table for Td Point group
4. Molecular Orbital Diagram for CH4
5. References
6. Outside Links
7. Problems
8. Contributors

This module seeks to explain the bonding of the 4 Hydrogen atoms to the 1 Carbon atom in the molecule CH4 (methane),using the molecular orbital theory. Molecular orbital theory describes orbitals that are formed with the interaction of the atomic orbitals of given atoms. These orbitals are spread out over the entire molecule and electrons fill these orbitals in accordance with the aufbau principle.

1. Introduction
2. The Symmetry of CH4
3. Character Table for Td Point group
4. Molecular Orbital Diagram for CH4
5. References
6. Outside Links
7. Problems
8. Contributors

Introduction

Various concepts explain the molecular orbital theory in the bonding in methane, including character tables, symmetry, LGOs (ligand group orbital approach), and a qualitative MO diagram.

The Symmetry of CH₄

CH₄ belongs to the T_dpoint group and contains: 8C₃ axes, 3C₂axes, 6S₄axes, and a dihedral plane of symmetry. Using the character table for the T_dpoint group,

Character Table for T_d Point group

T_d	E	8C₃	3C₂	6S₄	6sigma_d
A₁	1	1	1	1	1
A₂	1	1	1	-1	-1
E	2	-1	2	0	0
T₁	3	0	-1	1	-1
T₂	3	0	-1	-1	1

Molecular Orbital Diagram for CH4

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References

Housecroft, C; Sharpe, A. (2008). Bonding in Polyatomic Molecules. In: Pearson Education Limited Inorganic Chemistry. Edinburgh Gate: Pearson Education Limited. pgs. 33, 130-131.

Outside Links

This is not meant for references used for constructing the module, but as secondary and unvetted information available at other site
Link to outside sources. Wikipedia entries should probably be referenced here.

Problems

What are ligand group orbitals, and how are they used in MO theory in polyatomic molecules?

How many Vibrational modes and IR/Ramen stretches are there in CH_4?

What are the major differences between VB theory and MO theory applied to polyatomic molecules?

Contributors

Name #1 here (if anonymous, you can avoid this) with university affiliation

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