Hi, I was taught the structure of benzene the other day by my teacher and he explained it with the help of hybridization. Firstly how well u define hybridization. I know it a little but don't think it is required at A'levels. Nonetheless I am curious to find out everything about it.

 

 

Can any1 help

Ok I have a limited understanding of hybridization, but here I go anyway.

 

Hybridization occurs when two Orbitals merge together to form two Hybridized orbitals, in benzene it's the C's S and P orbitals that merge to form two sp2 orbitals, A hybrid is called sp because it retains the sphereical characteristics of the s orbital as well as the elongated characteristics of the p orbital.

remember orbitals in always equals orbitals out. two do not form into one and so on.

In pi systems there are "edge to edge" interactions and "end to end" interactions because p orbitals are in the x,y,z axis.

why the C atom bothers with hybridization is because the energy levels of the LUMO and HOMO are lower after hybridization.

Hope this helps

Hybridization is the intermixing of orbitals ( e.g;S & p) of same principal quantum numbers to give a set of equivalent number of hybrid orbitals which will be similar in all respects such as energy ,angle & shape. for example;

If one S and three p orbitals will intermix ,we will get four Sp3 hybrid orbitals .