Hybridization of Carbon Atomic Orbitals

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to hybridization of carbon atomic orbitals.

Electronegativity

The measure of the tendency of an atom to attract electrons in a covalent bond.

Covalent Bond

The interatomic chemical link holding two or more non-metals together in a molecule, produced by sharing valence electrons.

Orbital Overlap

The interaction between a pair of atomic orbitals that share space, allowing for electron sharing and bond formation.

Sigma (σ) bond

A bond formed by the end-to-end or head-on overlap of atomic orbitals in a straight line connecting the two bonded atoms.

Pi (π) bond

A bond formed by the side-to-side overlap of two unhybridized p-orbitals.

Hybridization

The intermixing of valence atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals with different qualities.

sp3 Hybrid Orbitals

Orbitals formed by combining one s orbital and three p orbitals, characterized by 25% s character and 75% p character.

sp2 Hybrid Orbitals

Orbitals formed by mixing one s orbital with two p orbitals, characterized by one-third s character and two-thirds p character.

sp Hybrid Orbitals

Orbitals formed by hybridizing one s orbital with one p orbital, characterized by 50% s character and 50% p character.

Steric Number

The number of atoms bonded to a central atom plus the number of lone pairs of electrons on that atom, indicating regions of electron density.

Carbanion

A species in which carbon has a lone pair of electrons and forms four bonds.

Carbocation

A species in which carbon has lost an electron, resulting in a positive charge and typically three bonds.