Between pi bond and sigma bond, which bond can be broken easily and why?

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Between pi bond and sigma bond, which bond can be broken easily and why?

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Answer 1 · 2014-10-02T17:16:46

$π$ $pi$ bonds can easily be broken. Why?

$σ$ $sigma$ bond
$σ$ $sigma$ bonds are the strongest type of covalent chemical bond. They are formed by head-on overlapping between atomic orbitals.

By this definition, common forms of sigma bonds are s+s, pz+pz, s+pz and dz2+dz2.

$π$ $pi$ bond
$π$ $pi$ bonds are usually weaker than sigma bonds ; the C-C double bond has a bond energy less than twice the C-C single bond bond energy!
From the perspective of quantum mechanics, this bond's weakness is explained by significantly less overlap between the component p-orbitals due to their parallel orientation.

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Between pi bond and sigma bond, which bond can be broken easily and why?

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