I read a question on this, and it was concerning electron orbitals. What does it mean when an atoms hybridize?
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"Hybridization" refers to the combination of two or more atomic orbitals into a set of hybrid orbitals. There will always be a 1 to 1 correspondance, that is, for each atomic orbital combined, there will be a hybrid orbital. The hybrid orbitals are oriently differently in three-dimensional space so as to account for the observed geometry of a molecule.
For instance. The carbon atom in methane exhibits sp3 hybridization. It comes about by the combination of four atomic orbitals into 4 hybrid orbitals. The s-orbital and the three p-orbitals which are 90 degrees apart, are combined to form 4 sp3 hybrid orbitals which are 109.5 degrees apart. This allows us to "explain" the observed tetrahedral geometry of methane.
Recent evidence indicates that hybrid orbitals are only useful for the elements in period-2. The bond angles in the compounds in which the central atom is in the third period, and up, more closely agree with unhybridized p-orbitals. It has also be shown that trigonal bipyramidal and octahedral electron pair geometries are better explained by 3-center-4-electron bonding rather than sp3d or sp3d2 hybridization. Chemists have found that there is little to no d-orbital involvement in compounds like PCl5 and SCl6.
For instance. The carbon atom in methane exhibits sp3 hybridization. It comes about by the combination of four atomic orbitals into 4 hybrid orbitals. The s-orbital and the three p-orbitals which are 90 degrees apart, are combined to form 4 sp3 hybrid orbitals which are 109.5 degrees apart. This allows us to "explain" the observed tetrahedral geometry of methane.
Recent evidence indicates that hybrid orbitals are only useful for the elements in period-2. The bond angles in the compounds in which the central atom is in the third period, and up, more closely agree with unhybridized p-orbitals. It has also be shown that trigonal bipyramidal and octahedral electron pair geometries are better explained by 3-center-4-electron bonding rather than sp3d or sp3d2 hybridization. Chemists have found that there is little to no d-orbital involvement in compounds like PCl5 and SCl6.