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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: navalava on January 17, 2012, 10:54:38 AM

Title: Would a methyl radical be considered sp2 or sp3 hybridization?
Post by: navalava on January 17, 2012, 10:54:38 AM

Since it has only one electron in its p orbital, would we consider it trigonal planar or trigonal pyramidal? The answer to that would also solve the hybridization issue. Thank you!

Title: Re: Would a methyl radical be considered sp2 or sp3 hybridization?
Post by: fledarmus on January 17, 2012, 12:09:28 PM

Did you try searching for the information?

When I google "shape of methyl radical", this site pops up among others...

http://chemistry.boisestate.edu/people/richardbanks/inorganic/bonding%20and%20hybridization/bonding_hybridization.htm (http://chemistry.boisestate.edu/people/richardbanks/inorganic/bonding%20and%20hybridization/bonding_hybridization.htm)

Title: Re: Would a methyl radical be considered sp2 or sp3 hybridization?
Post by: Honclbrif on January 17, 2012, 12:30:51 PM

If the orbital is occupied, you can't ignore it.

Title: Re: Would a methyl radical be considered sp2 or sp3 hybridization?
Post by: g-bones on January 17, 2012, 01:31:00 PM

The methyl radical prefers a planar structure.  The energy barrier to pyramidaliation is quite low though. The methyl radical is really the only totally planar alkyl radical. Other structures pyramidalize to avoid eclipsing in interactions.  so to answer your question, the methyl radical is sp2 but that cannot be directly extended to other simple alkyl radicals.  This is more of a academic excerise though, and when discussing reactivity etc, planar seems to work out okay.  Hope this helps.


JACS, 1981, 103, 5046

Title: Re: Would a methyl radical be considered sp2 or sp3 hybridization?
Post by: navalava on January 18, 2012, 01:44:34 PM

Thanks so much! Yes, it really helped! :)