Lecture 1 (Part 2) - Hybridization
Lecture 1 (Part 2) - Hybridization
Lecture # 01(Part 2)
sp3 Hybrid Orbitals and the
Structure of Methane
• The bonding in the H2 molecule is fairly straightforward,
but the situation is more complicated in organic
molecules with tetravalent carbon atoms.
• Take methane, CH4, for instance. Carbon has four
valence electrons (2s2 2p2) and forms four bonds.
• Because carbon uses two kinds of orbitals for
bonding, 2s and 2p, we might expect methane to have
two kinds of C H bonds.
• In fact, though, all four C H bonds in methane are
identical and are spatially oriented toward the corners of
a regular tetrahedron. How can we explain this?
• The concept of hybridization explains how carbon forms
four equivalent tetrahedral bonds
• Linus Pauling in 1931 proposed that an s orbital and
three p orbitals can combine, or hybridize, to form four
equivalent atomic orbitals with tetrahedral orientation.
Bonding in Methane(CH4)
This description is still not adequate. Carbon would form two different types of bonds: three with 2p
orbitals and one with a 2s orbital. But experimental evidence points to carbon forming four identical
bonds in methane.
• Hybridization of one 2s orbital and three 2p orbitals for carbon forms four hybrid
orbitals, each with one electron.
• These new hybrid orbitals are intermediate in energy between the 2s and 2p orbitals.
Mixing a spherical 2s orbital and three dumbbell shaped 2p
orbitals together produces four orbitals having one large
lobe and one small lobe, oriented toward the corners of a
tetrahedron.
• What orbitals are used to form each bond in the following molecule?
(CH3)3B
Sp2 and Sp Hybridization
Forming three
sp2 hybrid
orbitals
Forming two sp
hybrid orbitals
BF3
In BF3, the B atom is sp2 hybridized because it
is surrounded by three groups (three F atoms).
Each B – F bond is formed by overlap of an sp2
hybrid orbital from B and a 2p orbital from F.
The sp2 hybrid orbitals all lie in a plane, and
are oriented 120° apart. The B atom also has a
vacant unhybridized 2p orbital. This orbital is
located above and below the plane of the BF3
molecule.
BeH2
In BeH2, the Be atom is sp hybridized
because it is surrounded by two groups (two
H atoms). Each Be – H bond is formed by
overlap of an sp hybrid orbital from Be and a
1s orbital from H. The sp hybrid orbitals are
oriented 180° away from each other.
Examples: Ethane—CH3CH3
• According to the Lewis structure for ethane, CH3CH3, each carbon atom is
singly bonded to four other atoms. As a result:
Ethylene—C2H4
• Based on the Lewis structure of ethylene, CH2––CH2, each carbon
atom is singly bonded to two H atoms and doubly bonded to the
other C atom, so each C is surrounded by three groups. As a result:
One of the C – C bonds results from the
end-on overlap of an sp2 hybrid orbital
on each carbon atom. Each of these
bonds is a σ bond.