Determining Factors

[Courtney McHargue 1I]

Is hybridization always based off of the number of bonds or lone pair electrons around the central atom or are there other factors that could affect it?

[Andrea Zheng 1H]

Hybridization is based on the number of electron densities around the atom, so a good rule to follow is that the number of regions of electron density equals the number of hybridization orbitals.

[Michael Novelo 4G]

Hybridization is based on electron densities surround a certain atom, similar to how we view electron density arrangements of molecules, we take a single bond, double bond, triple bond or lone pair as 1 form of electronic density. In other words a triple bond is the same as a single bond in terms of electron density. For example im H2O the Hybridization of the central atom O is O2sp3 since it has 2 single bonds and 2 lone pairs of electrons attached to it. It has an electronic density of 4 (2 single bonds+2 lone pairs)

[Jovian Cheung 1K]

It is based on the number of electron domains (in 14A I think they’re called regions of electron densities, per the previous post!) :-)
Put simply, one electron domain/region of electron density can be:
- a lone pair
- bonds (multiple bonds are counted as one domain)

Please correct me if there’s any additions! Ty :-)