Hybridization

Hybridisation in Covalent Bonding

Hybridisation refers to the combination of atomic orbitals within an atom to form a new set of hybrid orbitals.
These hybrid orbitals are used to form chemical bonds in covalent compounds.
Through hybridisation, orbitals with different energy levels combine to form hybrid orbitals of equal energies.

Types of Hybridisation

There are three main types of hybridisation: sp, sp2, and sp3.
sp hybridisation involves the mixture of one s and one p orbital, resulting in two equivalent sp hybrid orbitals.
sp2 hybridisation is observed when one s and two p orbitals mix, forming three equivalent sp2 hybrid orbitals.
sp3 hybridisation arises when one s and three p orbitals mix together to produce four equivalent sp3 hybrid orbitals.

Hybridisation and Molecular Geometry

The type of hybridisation influences the shape of the molecule.
Molecules with sp hybridisation are linear.
Molecules with sp2 hybridisation have a trigonal planar shape.
Molecules with sp3 hybridisation exhibit a tetrahedral geometry.

Hybridisation and Bonding

Bonds formed using hybrid orbitals are known as sigma bonds.
In double and triple bonds, the first bond is a sigma bond and the rest are pi bonds, which are formed from unhybridized p orbitals.
As such, hybridisation helps explain the observed bond angles and the double and triple bonding behaviour found in many molecules.

Understanding hybridisation helps in visualising molecular shapes and predicting the behaviour of atoms during the formation of covalent bonds. It provides a more detailed understanding of molecular geometry and bonding beyond the scope of the simple valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory.