Sp3 Hybridization Explained | All of Hybridization Explained

sp3 hybridization explained. In this

lecture, you will learn sp3

hybridization in the simplest way

possible. After watching this video, you

will completely understand how sp3

hybridization works in different

molecules. First of all, you need to

understand what is hybridization and how

we can define it. Actually,

hybridization is a process in which

different atomic orbitals with different

shape and energy intermix to form new

set of orbitals. Having same shape and

energy is called hybridization. and

orbitals obtained are called hybrid

orbitals. In simple words, when atomic

orbitals mix together, they form new

orbitals called hybrid orbitals. Now,

let's move towards types of

hybridization. When S and P orbitals mix

together, three types of hybridization

can occur. First is sp hybridization.

Second is sp2 hybridization and third is

sp3 hybridization. In this lecture, we

will understand sp3 hybridization in

detail. First of all, we need to define

sp3 hybridization. The type of

hybridization in which 1 s and 3 p

atomic orbitals intermix to form four

sp3 hybridized orbitals is called sp3

hybridization. This means one s orbital

and 3 p orbitals combine to make four

new sp3 orbitals. To understand sp3

hybridization completely, we will study

three important examples. In the first

example, we will see sp3 hybridization

in methane. In the second example, we

will understand sp3 hybridization in

ammonia. And in the third example, we

will learn sp3 hybridization in water

molecule. These three examples will make

the concept crystal clear. Let's start

with first example which is sp3

hybridization in methane. Let us start

with methane molecule. The formula of

methane is CH4. In methane, the central

atom is carbon. carbon shows sp3

hybridization in methane molecule. Now

let me show you the electronic

configuration of carbon. The atomic

number of carbon is 6. So it means

carbon has six electrons. The ground

state electronic configuration of carbon

is 1 s2 2 s2 2 p2. In this ground state

carbon has only two unpaired electrons

in two p orbitals. But in methane carbon

forms four bonds with four hydrogen

atoms. So carbon needs four unpaired

electrons. So to get four unpaired

electrons, carbon gets excited. When

carbon gets excited, one electron from

2s orbital jumps to the empty 2p

orbital. Now the excited state

electronic configuration of carbon

becomes 1 s2 2 s1 2 p3. In the excited

state, carbon has four unpaired

electrons. One electron is in 2 s

orbital and three electrons are in two p

orbitals. Now hybridization takes place.

When an electron moves from ground state

to excited state, the orbitals that mix

together give us the hybridization

state. Here in excited state, 1 2

orbital and 32p orbitals are present

with unpaired electrons. These four

orbitals mix together. So 1 s orbital

and 3p orbitals undergo hybridization.

Therefore, the hybridization of carbon

is sp3. After hybridization, four sp3

hybrid orbitals are formed. All four sp3

orbitals have same shape and same

energy. These four sp3 orbitals form

four bonds with four hydrogen atoms. The

shape of methane molecule is

tetrahedral. The bond angle in methane

is 109.5°.

Now let us understand the second example

that is ammonia molecule. The formula of

ammonia is NH3. In ammonia the central

atom is nitrogen. Nitrogen also shows

sp3 hybridization. The atomic number of

nitrogen is 7. So it means nitrogen has

seven electrons. The ground state

electronic configuration of nitrogen is

1 s2 2 s2 2 p3. In this ground state,

nitrogen already has three unpaired

electrons in two p orbitals, which means

one electron in each 2p orbital. Now

here is an important point. In ammonia,

nitrogen forms three bonds with three

hydrogen atoms. Nitrogen already has

three unpaired electrons in ground

state. So nitrogen does not need to get

excited. There is no excitation in case

of nitrogen. But the question is why no

excitation takes place. The answer is

simple because nitrogen already has

enough unpaired electrons to form bonds.

Also all three 2p orbitals are already

occupied. There is no empty 2p orbital

available. So electron cannot jump to 2p

orbital. Therefore nitrogen remains in

ground state only. Even though there is

no excitation, hybridization still

occurs. In nitrogen 12s orbital and 32p

orbitals undergo hybridization. So the

hybridization state will be sp3. After

hybridization, four sp3 hybrid orbitals

are formed. Out of these four sp3

orbitals, three orbitals have one

unpaired electron each. These three

orbitals form three bonds with three

hydrogen atoms. The fourth sp3 orbital

contains a lone pair of electrons. This

lone pair does not participate in

bonding. The shape of ammonia molecule

is trional parameal. It is not

tetrahedral like methane because one

position is occupied by lone pair. The

bond angle in ammonia is approximately

107°. Now let us discuss the third

example which is water molecule. The

formula of water is H2O. In water the

central atom is oxygen. Oxygen also

underos sp3 hybridization. The atomic

number of oxygen is 8. So oxygen has

eight electrons. The ground state

electronic configuration of oxygen is 1

s2 2 s2 2 p4. In this ground state,

oxygen has two unpaired electrons in two

p orbitals. The remaining two electrons

in two p orbitals are paired. In water,

oxygen forms two bonds with two hydrogen

atoms. Oxygen already has two unpaired

electrons. So oxygen does not require

excitation. Oxygen remains in ground

state. So again the question is why does

oxygen not get excited? The reason is

that all three 2p orbitals are already

filled. There is no empty 2p orbital

available for electron to jump. If an

electron tries to jump, it needs to go

to 3s orbital which requires very high

energy. So excitation does not occur in

oxygen. However, hybridization takes

place even without excitation. 1 2

orbital and 32p orbitals of oxygen

undergo hybridization. So the

hybridization will be sp3. 4 sp3 hybrid

orbitals are produced. Out of four sp3

orbitals, only two orbitals contain

unpaired electrons. These two orbitals

form two bonds with two hydrogen atoms.

The remaining two sp3 orbitals contain

lone pairs of electrons. The shape of

water molecule is bent or v-shaped. This

is because two positions are occupied by

two lone pairs. The bond angle in water

is approximately 104.5°.

Now at the end, let's have a look at the

summary of all three examples. I will

summarize all three examples for you. In

methane, carbon underos excitation from

ground state to excited state. One

electron jumps from 2s to 2p orbital.

Then sp3 hybridization occurs. Methane

has tetrahedral shape. In ammonia,

nitrogen does not undergo excitation. It

already has three unpaired electrons.

Nitrogen directly underos sp3

hybridization in ground state. Ammonia

has trional parameal shape due to one

lone pair. In water, oxygen does not

undergo excitation. It already has two

unpaired electrons. Oxygen directly

underos sp3 hybridization in ground

state. Water has bent shape due to two

lone pairs. In all three molecules, sp3

hybridization occurs. But the process is

slightly different in each case. In

methane, excitation happens first. In

ammonia and water, no excitation is

needed. Therefore, sp3 hybridization is

the mixing of one s orbital and three p

orbitals to form four sp3 hybrid

orbitals. This concept is very important

for understanding molecular geometry and

bonding.