Questions tagged [hybridization]

Hybridisation is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals suitable for the qualitative description of atomic bonding properties.

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According to Bent's Rule, different %s in two different orbitals of sp3d equitorial and axial [closed]

In a molecule of hybridization sp³d, according to the formula, Cosθ=s/(s-1)=(p-1)/p Axial orbital has %s=0 while equitorial orbital has %s=33.33. But both are 90⁰ apart, so, according to formula both ...
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In fulvene, does having a double bond outside a ring disqualify aromaticity? [duplicate]

My answer was that this is anti-aromatic since it is cyclic, planar, and every atom in the ring is sp^2 hybridized. Since there are 4 electrons, this is anti-aromatic, according to Huckel's Rule. My ...
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Molecular orbital picture in conjugated molecules - double bonds

I am a not a chemistry student but a physics student. Nevertheless, I am quite familiar with molecular orbital theory and similar quantum chemistry concepts. However, I have problems understanding the ...
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Hybridization of lone-pair atom next to an sp hybridized atom (≡C-O- or ≡C-Cl)

I know that an atom with lone pairs next to an atom that is sp2 hybridized will be sp2 hybridized to enable resonance with the unhybridized p-orbital Eg :- In CH₂=CH-NH₂ , N is sp2 hybridized, since ...
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If Ethyne has the lowest C-H bond length (highest C-H bond energy) compared to Ethane and Ethene, why is it the most acidic? [duplicate]

I am not an expert in chemistry, but these are the few facts I know from Standard XII chemistry books (these facts could be wrong or incomplete or modified by now). Facts I know - Ethane has 'sp$^3$' ...
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In which orbital is the positive charge of central nitrogen present in diazomethane? [closed]

Where is the positive charge of central nitrogen located? It cannot be in the pure p orbital because in that case there will only s-orbital left for hybridization which is not possible. If it's ...
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How do I determine the hybridization of terminal atoms? [duplicate]

I've read that terminal atoms do not undergo hybridization because there is no need to. For example, CF4, C undergo sp hybridization, but fluorine do not hybridize. How about CO2? Why is oxygen sp2 ...
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Is there a molecular orbital equivalent of rehybridization?

I generally have seen the pyramidal inversion of NH3 explained in terms of rehybridization. The sp3 hybridized NH3 changes to sp2, with the lone pair in the p orbital, and then reverts to sp3 in the ...
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What is the logic behind the steric number formula?

My teacher taught us two methods two calculate steric number for determining hybridisation. The first method was to count the total number of sigma bonds and add the lone pairs of the central atom. I ...
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Why is the bond angle of SO2 less than 120 degrees? [duplicate]

I've learnt about VSEPR theory and have a general idea of how lone electron pairs affect the molecular geometry by repulsions. But my teacher told me that when the angle between bond pairs or lone ...
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Bonding in hypervalent molecules

I don't know where they go the electrons of the extended-valence in molecules like $\ce{SF6}$ or $\ce{PCl5}$ for instance because my teacher said that the d orbitals can't interact with s and p (or ...
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What does "shape of hybrid orbitals" mean?

My teacher and textbook distinguish between the $sp$,$sp^2$ and $sp^3$ hybrid orbitals' shapes by saying that the first has linear shape, the second has trigonal shape, and the third has tetrahedral ...
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Why are there FOUR $sp^3$ hybridized orbitals in methane?

(This may be a stupid question, but I've only learnt about hybridization yesterday.) I will take the example of methane. The valence shell electron configuration of ground state of carbon is $2s^2 2p^...
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Is it possible to have different isomers of compounds with SP2 hybridized carbons based on the orientation of the Pi bond?

I was building molecular models with my son who is in high school to teach him about molecular geometries and he asked me a question I had never considered before. We built Acetone, using plastic ...
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What is the hybridization of oxygen atoms in boric acid?

I was making the $\ce{H3BO3}$ structure and tried to think of hybridization of oxygen atoms and got confused between $\mathrm{sp^2}$ and $\mathrm{sp^3}$. Boron has empty orbitals, so the lone pairs of ...
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Why is hybridization different in a ring? [duplicate]

Why is nitrogen $sp^3$ hybridized in a compound such as NH3 but $sp^2$ hybridized in something like pyrrole, which has a ring structure? In both cases there are three bonds and one lone pair.
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Why do sp³ orbitals have tetrahedral symmetry when they are linear combinations of orbitals with octahedral symmetry?

I'm trying to understand how orbitals hybridize. What I understand—or at least think I understand—is the following: The "standard" $\mathrm{s}, \mathrm{p}, \mathrm{d}, …$ orbitals are ...
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Hybridization concept applied to each atom in CO2 [duplicate]

In $\ce{CO2}$ we know that the central atom C is $sp$ hybridized and the other two oxygens are $sp^2$ hybridized , my query is regarding if we suppose the $z-axis$ to be the internuclear axis is it ...
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Is the shortness of boron trifluoride's bonds better understood and explained now than it was "way back" in the 20th century?

Wikipedia's Boron trifluoride; Structure and bonding says: In the boron trihalides, BX3, the length of the B–X bonds (1.30 Å) is shorter than would be expected for single bonds,7 and this shortness ...
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%s character distribution of phosphorus hybrid orbitals

The following question was asked in the Indian Olympiad Qualifier Chemistry Part I (IOQC) today: For the given compound, %s character of phosphorus hybrid orbitals which contribute to various bonds ...
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Lone Pairs Hybridization

Why are lone pairs considered when determining the hybridization orbitals of an atom? If the lone pairs will lead towards a filled orbital and won't perform any bonding, why can't they be left ...
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How do we find hybridization when molecule has resonance?

Consider the following image which shows the resonance structures of $\ce{CO_3^{2-}}$ ion. What is the hybridization of $\ce{O}$? How do we proceed in such cases? In one resonance structure, the top ...
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Hybridisation of the O atom in the hydroxyl group of ethanoic acid

Currently studying high school organic reaction mechanisms and encountered a question. It goes like this: The C=O bond and the C–O bond of an ethanoate ion is equal at 127 pm, while the C=O bond of ...
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Why d(z^2-x^2) and d(y^2-z^2) join to form dz^2 orbital? [closed]

The possible combinations are xy,yz,zx ,d(x^2-y^2) , d(y^2-z^2),d(z^2-x^2) 7 total for d , but i heard that from Scrodinger equation one concludes that only 5 are possible but i dont see how ...
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what's the importance of "s" character in hybrid orbitals?

I am a high school student and I am learning about hybridization, my teacher told me that it is due to the "s" character in the hybrid orbital that they can arrange themselves so that the ...
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Justification for using valence bond theory and molecular orbital theory together?

Elementary gen chem books will make the careful distinction between the two theories and then proceed to claim that chemists can use both to complement each other to explain the behavior of certain ...
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What is the best way to visualize hybridization [closed]

I had learnt hybridization in various complex definitions some of them as "complex overlapping of orbitals (in quantum mechanical model) which leads in changing of shape of orbitals itself. But ...
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Why is C-S-C bond angle in thiirane so small at 48.5 degrees?

Why is the C-S-C bond angle in thiirane (48.5 degrees) so much smaller than C-O-C bond angle in oxirane/epoxide (60 degrees). Source: https://coek.info/pdf-three-membered-ring-heterocycles-.html
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Basic question about hybridization [closed]

I just started a basic course on chemistry and we are going really fast (at least for me). During the last lesson our teacher left us with a question: "What is hybridization and how it relates to ...
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Do strong field ligands always give d2sp3 hybridisation and weak field ligands give sp3d2 for coordiantion number 6 [closed]

i am actually doing coordination compounds but get confused when it comes to hybridization so wanted to create a short of mine for the exam
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What is the hybridization of copper in blue vitriol?

My book says that the structure of blue vitriol is the following: From the structure, I figured that since there are 4 water molecules coordinated to the cuprate ion, the hybridization should be $sp^...
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How does a molecule (for example, ClF₅) have a steric number of more than 4 if SP³ hybridisation is the maximum? [duplicate]

"The sum of the number of atoms bonded to a central atom and the number of lone pairs formed by its nonbonding valence electrons is known as the central atom's steric number." Wikipedia's ...
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Hybridisation of Azide ion

In azide ion, $\ce{N3-}$, the hybridisation is $\mathrm{sp}$ because number of hybrid orbitals = steric number, the central atom $(\ce{N})$ has 6 bonds with other $\ce{N}$ atom, 2 of which are sigma ...
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Role of 'p' Orbitals in Graphite Carbons

In the graphite arrangement of carbons, if we model them according to hybridization theory, the carbons in graphite are sp2 hybridized. This would mean that one s and two p orbitals hybridize, making ...
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What's the "Charge" in Steric Number Formula

I was reading about the Steric Number Formula here. There, I came to know that the Steric Number $N=\frac{V+M \pm I}{2}$ where $V = n(\ce{e-})$, the number of valence electrons of central atom, which ...
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Comparing intensity of colour in coordination compounds

I had given an examination recently in which the question asked was: Write the decreasing order for the intensity of color in $\ce{[CoCl4]^{2-}}$, $\ce{[Co(CN)4]^2-}$, $\ce{[Co(H2O)6]^2+}$ What my ...
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Selection of p-orbital(s) when considering sp or sp2 hybridisation

I am considering $z$-axis as the internuclear axis in all cases. When we consider overlap of s and p orbital to form a $\sigma$-bond, the chosen orbital must be p$_z$ orbital for a proper overlap. ...
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Why d and s orbitals overlap even when there is considerable difference in their energies?

In my grade 11 chemistry NCERT textbook, its written that hybridization happens when orbitals of almost same energy overlaps. But S orbital and D orbital have significant difference in their energies. ...
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Why is the bond angle of sulphur difluoride greater than that of hydrogen sulphide?

Why is the bond angle of $\ce{SF_2 (98.05^\circ) > SH_2 (92.11^\circ)}$? Isn't this contradicting Bent's rule or otherwise electron repulsion rule ? Fluorine is more electronegative and hence it ...
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How can orbitals of Hydrogen and Chlorine atom combine to form molecular orbitals of Hydrogen Chloride? [closed]

Linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) states that orbitals can only combine if the energies and shape of the orbitals are same. $3p$ orbital of Chlorine and $1s$ orbital of Hydrogen are the ...
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Why does a larger bond angle correspond to greater s-character?

In trialkylamines $\ce{NR3}$, the $\ce{R}$ alkyl group attached to nitrogen increases the electronegativity of the nitrogen atom. I also found in this question that this happens due to the repulsion ...
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What is θ in Bent's rule equation (%s - character)?

I was learning about Bent's Rule. I came across a formula $$\cos\theta = \frac{s}{s-1}$$ I am quite confused about $\theta$. I know that it represents bond angle. But for a compound like $\ce{PCl5}$, ...
2 votes
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Why doesn't an sp3s hybridisation exist?

Trying to prove that nitrogen doesn't split its lone pair to form 5 bonds, I thought of a situation that I couldn't rule out; the paired electron being excited to the 3s orbital, so that five bonds ...
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Relation between the number of hybridised orbitals and the number of sigma bonds

March's Advanced Organic Chemistry (8th Ed.), has in its first chapter several tantalizing statements of the following variety; Boron has only three valence electrons available to form bonds, hence ...
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A contradiction in the nucleophilic attack of hydride ion based on charge densities

On page 130 of Organic Chemistry by Clayden, it is stated that Nucleophilic attack by the hydride ion, $\ce{H-}$, is an almost unknown reaction. This species, which is present in the salt sodium ...
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Hybrid lobes of sp3d2 and sp3d3 [closed]

It's known that $\ce{sp^3d}$ hybridization has 5 lobes; 3 equatorial with $\ce{sp^2}$ lobes and 2 axial with $\ce{dp}$ lobes. Do we have such splitting in $\ce{sp^3d^2}$ and $\ce{sp^3d^3}$ ...
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Which d orbitals are involved in "d3s hybridisation"?

I was reading about hybridisation and came across a point saying that $\mathrm{d^3s}$ hybridisation involves only $\mathrm d_{xy}$, $\mathrm d_{yz}$, and $\mathrm d_{zx}$ orbitals and not $\mathrm d_{...
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Reactivity of unsaturated organolithium compounds

I'm particularly looking in the context of alkyl lithiums compared to vinyl-lithiums and alkynyl-lithiums. Why is it that shifting from sp3 to sp2, and even further to sp carbanions, reduces the ...
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is there a stead fast rule to predict hybridization or is it just an ad hoc concept

Before I start of this question, Ι want to make it clear that I know that hybridization, like pretty much all of chemical bonding, are just made up to qualitatively rationalize observations. I know ...
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Why there is no sp2s hybridization in hydrocarbons? [closed]

If carbon's $\mathrm{sp^2}$ orbital is overlapped with hydrogen's $\mathrm{s},$ then why it is $\mathrm{sp^2}$ and why not $\mathrm{sp^2s}?$
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