3.3 Hybridization
LEARNING GOALS
After Chapter 3.3, you will be able to:
Recall the percentage of s character present in a given hybridization level, such as sp^2
Describe the relationship between electron density and resonance structures
Identify the hybridization of an atom within a complex molecule:
Carbon has the electron configuration 1s^22 s^22 p^2 and therefore needs four electrons to complete its
octet (2s^22 p^6 ). A typical molecule formed by carbon is methane, CH 4 . Experimentation shows that
the four σ bonds in methane are equivalent. This may seem inconsistent with what we know about
the asymmetrical distribution of carbon’s valence electrons: two electrons in the 2 s-orbital, one in
the px-orbital, one in the py-orbital, and none in the pz-orbital. This apparent discrepancy is
accounted for by the theory of orbital hybridization.
sp^3
Hybrid orbitals are formed by mixing different types of orbitals. Just as with molecular orbitals, we
can use advanced mathematics to merge three p-orbitals and one s-orbital. The result? As shown in
Figure 3.4, this forms four identical sp^3 orbitals with new, hybridized shapes.