The given conditions should be satisfied by atomic orbitals to form molecular orbitals:
(a) The combining atomic orbitals must have the same or nearly the same energy. This means that in a homonuclear molecule, the 1s-atomic orbital of an atom can combine with the 1s-atomic orbital of another atom, and not with the 2s-orbital.
(b) The combining atomic orbitals must have proper orientations to ensure that the overlap is maximum.
(c) The extent of overlapping should be large.
