Calling all Chemists
 

Ok so I'm in the middle of an advanced chemistry course in high school right now and we are discussing the hybridization of orbitals. Does anyone here know any good websites that talk about this and explain it clearly? I understand the sp, sp2, sp3, dsp3, and d2sp3 orbitals but I dont understand how they are formed. I know that a methane molecule (CH4) is sp3 hybridized, but how does that happen?
Thanks in advance.

sprechen Sie Englisch?

no sprekin n3rd jibberish

I just read what you wrote and this occured

[img]http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/appropriated-web-graphics/exploding-head.gif[/img]

Its amazing how I am still typing this

it depends on the number of bonds and number of free electron pairs.
So with H2O the Oxygen atom has two bonds and two electron pairs, therefore it is sp3.
the carbon in C02 has two bonds (countdoubles and triples as a single) so it is sp2
If I recall correctly only Sulfur and Phosphorous use the sp3d and sp3d2 orbitals (I forget which uses which)


But the best part is, when you get into higher level college courses you'll learn that hybridization is only a model, a flawed model biggrin:

Stryker what I need to know is how the orbitals hybridize. I know that the H2O has two bonds to and two electron pairs so it is sp3. What I dont know is how the O orbitals change from its original 2p 2s orbitals to the hybridized ones. Does it just involve a change in energy to make them all equal or what?

Edit: My teacher told us that the hybridization theory was flawed he just told us not to worry. So if you can just explain the bare basics it would be appreciated! biggrin:

I smell a future meth cook. j/k

[img]http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/appropriated-web-graphics/exploding-head.gif[/img][img]http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/appropriated-web-graphics/exploding-head.gif[/img]

[img]http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/appropriated-web-graphics/exploding-head.gif[/img][img]http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/appropriated-web-graphics/exploding-head.gif[/img][img]http://www.hackvan.com/pub/stig/pix/appropriated-web-graphics/exploding-head.gif[/img]

lol, suffering from Col. O'Neill syndrome yet?

rofl, scanners rules! any movie with michael ironside rules rock:

Michael Ironside is Canadian, and he probably played hockey at one point, since every good Canadian does, so that means you can't like him anymore. eek:

i cant tell you how close i was to adding this to my previous post : "even though he is canadian, i actually think he rocks..." or something to that effect. but i chose to let it go , because doing so would surely have incited another boring can. vs. usa flamewar. looks like it happened anyway cry:
p.s. i will try my hardest to find out if he did indeed played hockey biggrin:

oh and wtf oOo: lmao

It was a joke.

ya, i gotcha (its why i said lol) also, i extended the joke into another thread! if you find it you win the prize! oOo: