Was reading the textbook and didn't understand what this meant: "(a) An s-orbital and a p-orbital hybridize into two sp hybrid orbitals that point in opposite directions, forming a linear molecular shape. (b) An s-orbital and two p-orbitals can blend together to give three sp2 hybrid orbitals
that point to the corners of an equilateral triangle. (c) An s-orbital and three p-orbitals can blend together to give four sp2 hybrid orbitals that point to the corners of a tetrahedron."
What does it mean when the orbitals "point" into a corner or different directions? I thought that they were lobes so I'm not sure how they can be pointing.
Hybrid orbitals pointing to corners?
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Re: Hybrid orbitals pointing to corners?
I think all the book is referring to here is the shape the orbitals form because of their regions of electron density
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Re: Hybrid orbitals pointing to corners?
Because of electron repulsion, to maximize distance the orbitals end up "pointing to the corners."
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Re: Hybrid orbitals pointing to corners?
But how do you know which corner it is pointing to? Does this relate to the dipole moments?
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Re: Hybrid orbitals pointing to corners?
Pointing to corners basically means that the arrow displaying a dipole moment points out toward the most electronegative atom. The atoms arrange themselves in a way that each one is the same distance apart and create geometrical shapes that have corners.
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