hybridized orbitals

[Jennifer Lathrop 1F]

I'm still a little bit confused about hybridized orbitals in terms of what causes them (if that makes sense). Do all molecules have hybridized orbitals?

[Patrick Cai 1L]

In most cases, hybridized orbitals occur as the optimal, lowest energy state configuration a molecule can have; however, some examples exist of molecules whose un-hybridized orbitals are at a lower energy state than having potentially hybridized orbitals (H₂S).

[MaggieMatern_Dis1H]

Hybridized orbitals form when atoms are bonding, and they create a new (i.e. lower) energy level for electrons to occupy. This is favorable because electrons always want to occupy the lowest energy level possible.