antibonding orbital

An antibonding orbital is a type of molecular orbital that occurs when atomic orbitals combine in a way that cancels out electron density between two atoms, making the bond less stable or weaker. When two atoms bond, their atomic orbitals merge to form bonding orbitals (which hold the atoms together). Antibonding orbitals are higher energy and result from the same orbitals combining with opposite phases, creating a node (a region of zero electron density) between the atoms. Electrons in antibonding orbitals tend to destabilize the bond, reducing bond strength and stability in a molecule.