## Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

$sp, sp^{2}, sp^{3}, dsp^{3}, d^{2}sp^{3}$

KTran 1I
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:15 am

### Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

Does anyone have any tips for remembering or identifying the hybrid orbitals of compounds?

san_2F
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2019 12:15 am

### Re: Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

I think all atoms in a molecule have hybrid orbitals and this is determined by the number of regions of electron densities there are.

Mulin_Li_2J
Posts: 105
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:16 am

### Re: Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

Hybridization is created to explain how bonds are formed and oriented into experimentally detected geometric shapes. For example, if hybridization does not exist, single bonds in NH3 will be perpendicular to each other with a H-N-H angle of 90 because each p-orbital is perpendicular to each other. Instead, NH3 is experimentally determined to have a trigonal pyramidal shape with a H-N-H bond angle of approximately 109.5. Thus, to account for the tetrahedral electron arrangement of NH3, we say 2s and 2p orbitals of N in NH3 are hybridized into 4 sp3 orbitals.

Thus, to identify what kind of hybridization a central atom has, simply identify the kind of electron arrangement the central atom has and then corresponds to each hybridization. For example, AX2 would be sp, AX3 would be sp2, AX4 would be sp3, AX5 would be sp3d, and AX6 would be sp3d2.

Hope this can help!

Jared_Yuge
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:17 am

### Re: Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

Just count the # of electron densities on the atom in question and count the orbitals to hybridize from there ie s, sp, sp2, sp3

805422680
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 12:16 am

### Re: Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

To find a hybrid orbital, look at the number of regions of electron density around the atom. If there are 2, the hybridisation will be sp, if there are 3, sp2, 4 = sp3, 5= sp3d, 6=sp3d2

005206171
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2019 12:20 am

### Re: Identifying Hybrid Orbitals

I just count the electron density regions from s, p2, p3, d, d2, d3. Rarely if ever do I go higher than that.