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Hybridization
A Blending of Orbitals
Methane
CH4
 Sometimes called “natural gas, ” methane is
used to heat homes.

Shape of Methane
Tetrahedral geometry
 109.5o angle between bonds

Carbon’s atomic orbitals
4 valence electrons
 Outermost orbitals: 2s, 2px, 2py, 2pz

How can this happen?
2 possibilities
Maybe our quantum mechanical model
of atomic orbitals is totally wrong.
OR
 Maybe carbon is doing something else
with its orbitals to form this compound.

Hybridization occurs

A mathematical blending of orbitals

Number of atomic orbitals blended =
number of hybrid orbitals produced

Result: Identical orbitals
– New shape
– New orientation in space
sp3 hybridization

s + px + Py + pz = 4 sp3 orbitals
Sp3 hybridization on carbon
4 identical sp3
orbitals
 109.5o between
orbitals
 Tetrahedral
orientation

Bonds form when orbitals overlap

Sigma bonds: end to end overlap of
orbitals
What happens in ethene?
C2H4
 Properties
 Double bond
between carbons
 Trigonal planar
geometry around C
 120o bond angles
Sp2 hybridization occurs

S + px + py = 3 sp2 orbitals

1 unused p orbital left over
Bonding in ethene

Sigma bond: end to
end overlap

Pi bond: side to
side overlap
Putting ethene together
Carbon-carbon double bond = 1 sigma
bond and 1 Pi bond
 4 C-H sigma bonds
 Trigonal planar
geometry results

What happens in ethyne?
C2H2
 Linear geometry
 What type of hybridization is involved?
 What hybrid and atomic orbitals can it
use?
 What types and numbers of bonds are
present in the molecule?
