[SheffieldWednesday4ever]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if the sp2 strength is stronger because it has more of an s character, and thus the atoms are closer together and stronger. Or, is it because this indicates a double bond with a p orbital that contributes to the bond strength. Or maybe both are correct.
And do all sp2 hybridized orbitals have a double bond?

Thanks for reading

[nj_bartel]

Close, but not quite.  S orbitals have no nodes and are spherical, and thus the electron cloud is able to surround the nucleus more tightly than p orbitals, which have a node and are dumbbell shaped.  The more s character, the closer the electrons cloud can get to the nucleus (on average).