Structure and Bonding
The SO molecule has a triplet ground state similar to O2, i.e. each molecule has two unpaired electrons. The S−O bond length of 148.1 pm is similar to that found in lower sulfur oxides (e.g. S8O, S−O = 148 pm) but is longer than the S−O bond in gaseous S2O (146 pm), SO2 (143.1 pm) and SO3 (142 pm).
The molecule is excited with near infrared radiation to the singlet state (with no unpaired electrons). The singlet state is believed be more reactive than the ground state triplet state, in the same way that singlet oxygen is more reactive than the triplet oxygen.
Read more about this topic: Sulfur Monoxide
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