3.13 Molecular shape in terms of molecular orbitals The VSEPR model is based on a localized picture of electron distributions. However, in molecular orbital theory the electrons responsible for bonding are delocalized over the entire molecule. Current ob initio and semiempirical molecular orbital calculations, which are widely performed with commercial software, are able to predict the shapes of even quite complicated molecules with high reliability. Nevertheless, there is still a need to understand the qualitative factors that contribute to the shape of a molecule within the framework of MO theory.‘