Understanding Hybridization in Chemical Bonding

Hybridization is the process of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals suitable for the qualitative description of atomic bonding properties. In Class 11 NCERT, hybridization is explained as follows:

• sp Hybridization: This involves the mixing of one s and one p orbital to form two equivalent sp hybrid orbitals. An example is BeCl₂.
• sp² Hybridization: This involves the mixing of one s and two p orbitals to form three equivalent sp² hybrid orbitals. An example is BF₃.
• sp³ Hybridization: This involves the mixing of one s and three p orbitals to form four equivalent sp³ hybrid orbitals. An example is CH₄.

The type of hybridization affects the geometry and bond angles of the resulting molecules.