Textbook Prob 2.45

[005801694]

How do you determine the hybridization of the pi bonds? Why don't they include the s as the sigma bonds do?

[Joanna Zhao 1J]

Pi bonds are not hybridized. Pi bonds are weaker than sigma bonds thus they do not include sp hybridization because the side-to-side unhybridized p orbital overlap that forms a pi bond makes the pi bond relatively weaker than the end-to-end overlap of hybridized sp orbitals that make a sigma bond. Guess one example that kind of explains it further is that pi bonds only exist when there's a double or triple bond; hydrogen cannot double or triple bond; hydrogen can only form sigma bonds; hydrogen only has an s orbital.