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Lecture

Hybrid Orbitals: Theory and Applications

In course

CH-244: Quantum chemistry

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics with examples related to chemistry ...

Description

This lecture covers the theory and applications of hybrid orbitals, focusing on their formation and properties. Topics include sp² and sp³ hybridization, orbital overlap, and the concept of orthonormality in molecular structures.

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Instructor

Marcel Drabbels

Dr. Marcel Drabbels studied experimental physics at the University of Nijmegen (the Netherlands) and in 1993 obtained his Ph.D. at that same university. He then moved to the University of California at Santa Barbara where he studied the dynamics of highly vibrationally excited molecules and developed a new detection technique to investigate the photodissociation of molecules. When he returned to the Netherlands in 1996 he joined the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in Amsterdam where he worked on the development of new types of infrared imaging and streak cameras. In 1997 Dr. Drabbels was awarded a fellowship of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences and he moved to the Free University of Amsterdam where he studied the collision dynamics of molecules and initiated photodissociation experiments using ultrafast lasers. In October 1998 he was appointed as senior scientist at the EPFL where he studies the spectroscopy and dynamics of nanoscale systems. In March 2021 he was promoted to titular professor.

Official source

Related concepts (25)

Orbital hybridisation

In chemistry, orbital hybridisation (or hybridization) is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals (with different energies, shapes, etc., than the component atomic orbitals) suitable for the pairing of electrons to form chemical bonds in valence bond theory. For example, in a carbon atom which forms four single bonds the valence-shell s orbital combines with three valence-shell p orbitals to form four equivalent sp3 mixtures in a tetrahedral arrangement around the carbon to bond to four different atoms.

Molecular orbital

In chemistry, a molecular orbital (ɒrbədl) is a mathematical function describing the location and wave-like behavior of an electron in a molecule. This function can be used to calculate chemical and physical properties such as the probability of finding an electron in any specific region. The terms atomic orbital and molecular orbital were introduced by Robert S. Mulliken in 1932 to mean one-electron orbital wave functions. At an elementary level, they are used to describe the region of space in which a function has a significant amplitude.

Orbital overlap

In chemical bonds, an orbital overlap is the concentration of orbitals on adjacent atoms in the same regions of space. Orbital overlap can lead to bond formation. Linus Pauling explained the importance of orbital overlap in the molecular bond angles observed through experimentation; it is the basis for orbital hybridization. As s orbitals are spherical (and have no directionality) and p orbitals are oriented 90° to each other, a theory was needed to explain why molecules such as methane (CH4) had observed bond angles of 109.

Conservation biology

Redirect2|Biological conservation|ConservationBiology (journal)|and|Biological Conservation (journal)Biological Conservation (journal)|and|Conservation Ecology (journal)Conservation Ecology (journal)|the popular movement|Conservationism Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions.

Molecular orbital theory

In chemistry, molecular orbital theory (MO theory or MOT) is a method for describing the electronic structure of molecules using quantum mechanics. It was proposed early in the 20th century. In molecular orbital theory, electrons in a molecule are not assigned to individual chemical bonds between atoms, but are treated as moving under the influence of the atomic nuclei in the whole molecule. Quantum mechanics describes the spatial and energetic properties of electrons as molecular orbitals that surround two or more atoms in a molecule and contain valence electrons between atoms.

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