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Two atomic orbitals in phase create a larger electron density, which leads to the σ orbital. If the two 1s orbitals are not in phase, a node between them causes a jump in energy, the σ* orbital. From the diagram you can deduce the bond order, how many bonds are formed between the two atoms. For this molecule it is equal to one.
Chemist Linus Pauling first developed the hybridisation theory in 1931 to explain the structure of simple molecules such as methane (CH 4) using atomic orbitals. [2] Pauling pointed out that a carbon atom forms four bonds by using one s and three p orbitals, so that "it might be inferred" that a carbon atom would form three bonds at right angles (using p orbitals) and a fourth weaker bond ...
For the hydrogen fluoride molecule, for example, two F lone pairs are essentially unhybridized p orbitals of π symmetry, while the other is an sp x hydrid orbital of σ symmetry. An analogous consideration applies to water (one O lone pair is in a pure p orbital, another is in an sp x hybrid orbital).
See illustration of a cross-section of these nested shells, at right. The s orbitals for all n numbers are the only orbitals with an anti-node (a region of high wave function density) at the center of the nucleus. All other orbitals (p, d, f, etc.) have angular momentum, and thus avoid the nucleus (having a wave node at the nucleus).
The molecular orbitals of a molecule can be illustrated in molecular orbital diagrams. Common bonding orbitals are sigma (σ) orbitals which are symmetric about the bond axis and pi (π) orbitals with a nodal plane along the bond axis.
In particular, Pauling introduced the concept of hybridisation, where atomic s and p orbitals are combined to give hybrid sp, sp 2, and sp 3 orbitals. Hybrid orbitals proved powerful in explaining the molecular geometries of simple molecules like methane, which is tetrahedral with an sp 3 carbon atom and bond angles of 109.5° between the four ...
The qualitative approach of MO analysis uses a molecular orbital diagram to visualize bonding interactions in a molecule. In this type of diagram, the molecular orbitals are represented by horizontal lines; the higher a line the higher the energy of the orbital, and degenerate orbitals are placed on the same level with a space between them.
Hybridization is a model that describes how atomic orbitals combine to form new orbitals that better match the geometry of molecules. Atomic orbitals that are similar in energy combine to make hybrid orbitals. For example, the carbon in methane (CH 4) undergoes sp 3 hybridization to form four equivalent orbitals, resulting in a tetrahedral shape.