Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: thetomatohead on November 22, 2005, 01:13:37 AM
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Okay so I read in a book that for hybrid orbitals...
sp - linear
sp2 - trigonal
sp3 - tetrahedral
So which one is water considered? The shape of water is bent, right? is there any exception to this rule thing where sp could be like i don't know, trigonal?
I didn't really understand hybridization at all.
exerpt from hybridization notes:
"NOTES: Hybridization
When atomic orbitals hybridize, two or more orbitals blend together and create new types of orbitals that did not exist before.
Example: Be in BeCl2 , the Be has initially 2s2 valence electrons.
• One of the s electrons gets “promoted” to one of the p orbitals.
• Atom now has two unpaired electrons but with different energies.
• The 2s and the 2p combine to create two new orbitals that have equal energies, sp (1 s + 1p)"
^ i don't get the part where it says "one of the s electrons gets promoted to one of the p orbtals." how does that happen? and why? ??? the notes were so confusing...
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http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=5801;start=msg25789#msg25789
So which one is water considered? The shape of water is bent, right? is there any exception to this rule thing where sp could be like i don't know, trigonal?
This might help a little (I know it doesn't answer your whole question) :)
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thanks...
but i still don't get why hybridization happens or how. can anyone help explain?
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I don't think hybridisation "happens" I think it is just away to explain moleculer shapes and bonding. This is a good Wiki entry on hybridisation. I am not sure what your exact question is still.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_hybridisation