For more information:http://www.7activestudio.cominfo@7activestudio.comhttp://www.7activemedical.com/info@7activemedical.comhttp://www.sciencetuts.com/7activ. Carbon - sp2 hybridization A carbon atom bound to three atoms (two single bonds, one double bond) is sp 2 hybridized and forms a flat trigonal or triangular arrangement with 120° angles between bonds. Notice that acetic acid contains one sp 2 carbon atom and one sp 3 carbon atom.

• In a cyclic hydrocarbon compound with alternating single and double bonds, each carbon is attached to 1 hydrogen and 2 other carbons. Therefore, each carbon is sp2 hybridized and has a p orbital. Let's look at our previous example, benzene: Each double bond (π bond) always contributes 2 π electrons. Benzene has 3 double bonds, so it has 6 π.
• Most importantly we have sp3, sp2 and sp hybridisation. Sp3 Hybridisation in Methane (CH4): The best way I can describe sp3 hybridisation is in Methane (also the most basic choice!). This is simplified for expression. Remember that Carbon has 6 electrons. In methane (CH4), 1 Carbon binds with 4 Hydrogens.

Learning Objective

• Recognize the role of sp² hybridized atoms in sigma and pi bonding.

Key Points

• For boron to bond with three fluoride atoms in boron trifluoride (BF₃), the atomic s- and p-orbitals in boron’s outer shell mix to form three equivalent sp2 hybrid orbitals.
• In an ethene molecule, a double bond between carbons forms with one sigma and one pi bond.
• The sigma bond in the C=C for ethene forms between two sp2 hybrid orbitals of two carbon atoms, and a pi bond for between two p orbitals.

Terms

• sp2 hybridizationthe 2s orbital mixes with only two of the three available 2p orbitals
• hybridizationmixing atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals, suitable for pairing electrons to form chemical bonds in valence bond theory

Sp2 Hybridized Carbon Atom

Boron trifluoride (BF₃) has a boron atom with three outer-shell electrons in its normal or ground state, as well as three fluorine atoms, each with seven outer electrons. One of the three boron electrons is unpaired in the ground state. In order to explain the bonding, the 2s orbital and two of the 2p orbitals (called sp² hybrids) hybridize; one empty p-orbital remains.

sp²Hybridization in Ethene and the Formation of a Double Bond

Ethene (C₂H₄) has a double bond between the carbons. In this case, carbon will sp² hybridize; in sp² hybridization, the 2s orbital mixes with only two of the three available 2p orbitals, forming a total of three sp hybrid orbitals with one p-orbital remaining. The three hybridized orbitals explain the three sigma bonds that each carbon forms.

The two carbon atoms form a sigma bond in the molecule by overlapping two sp² orbitals. Each carbon atom forms two covalent bonds with hydrogen by s–sp² overlap, all with 120° angles. The pi bond between the carbon atoms perpendicular to the molecular plane is formed by 2p–2p overlap.

Show Sources

Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. This particular resource used the following sources:

http://www.boundless.com/
Boundless Learning
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http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/chembond/cb06.html#SEC1
Steve Lower’s Website
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Sp Sp2 Sp3 Hybridization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_hybridisation
Wikipedia
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Sp2 Hybridized Carbon Ir

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sp2%20hybridization
Wikipedia
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Sp2 Hybridized Carbon Shape

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Inorganic_Chemistry/Chemical_Bonding/Orbital_hybridization%23sp_hybrids
Wikibooks
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Sp2 Hybridized Carbon Atoms

Mark Hockenberry
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Sp2 Hybridized Carbons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hybrydyzacja_sp2.svg
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