What is the hybridization of the carbon in the methane (CH4) molecule? (SHOW WORK, DRAW THE LEWIS DOT STRUCTURE) sp3 s sp3 sp sp2 sp3d2
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine the hybridization of carbon in the methane (CH4) molecule, let’s go through the steps:
Step 1: Draw the Lewis Dot Structure
Methane (CH4) consists of one carbon (C) atom bonded to four hydrogen (H) atoms. Carbon is in Group 14 of the periodic table, and hydrogen is in Group 1. Carbon has 4 valence electrons, while each hydrogen atom has 1 valence electron. In methane, carbon shares its 4 valence electrons with the 4 hydrogen atoms, forming 4 covalent bonds.
Lewis Dot Structure:
luaCopyEdit H
|
H--C--H
|
H
In this structure, the carbon atom is at the center with single bonds connecting to four hydrogen atoms.
Step 2: Determine the Electron Geometry
- Carbon in methane forms 4 single bonds with hydrogen atoms.
- There are 4 regions of electron density around the central carbon atom (the 4 C-H bonds).
- According to the VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion) theory, these 4 regions of electron density will arrange themselves in a tetrahedral geometry to minimize electron-electron repulsion.
Step 3: Determine the Hybridization
- The carbon atom in CH4 has 4 regions of electron density, which corresponds to sp³ hybridization.
- This means that one 2s orbital and three 2p orbitals of carbon combine to form 4 equivalent sp³ hybrid orbitals, each overlapping with the 1s orbital of a hydrogen atom to form a sigma bond.
Step 4: Explanation
- sp³ hybridization leads to a tetrahedral shape with bond angles of approximately 109.5°, which is observed in methane.
- The carbon atom in CH4 forms four sigma bonds with hydrogen, all using its sp³ hybrid orbitals.
- The reason for sp³ hybridization is that the carbon atom needs to accommodate four bonding pairs of electrons (the four C-H bonds), and combining one 2s orbital with three 2p orbitals gives the required number of orbitals for bonding.
Thus, the hybridization of carbon in methane (CH4) is sp³.
