Hybrid Orbital Definition in Chemistry

sp3 hybrid orbital diagram
Four sp3 orbitals form this hybrid orbital.

Jfmelero / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Learn about our Editorial Process
Updated on January 13, 2020

A hybrid orbital is an orbital formed by the combination of two or more atomic orbitals. The resulting orbital has a different shape and energy than the component orbitals that form it. Hybridization is used to model molecular geometry and to explain atomic bonding.

Example

The orbitals that form around berylium in BeF2 are a combination of s and p orbitals called sp hybrid orbitals.

Sources

  • Gillespie, R.J. (2004). "Teaching molecular geometry with the VSEPR model." Journal of Chemical Education 81 (3): 298–304. doi:10.1021/ed081p298
  • Pauling, L. (1931). "The nature of the chemical bond. Application of results obtained from the quantum mechanics and from a theory of paramagnetic susceptibility to the structure of molecules." Journal of the American Chemical Society 53 (4): 1367–1400. doi:10.1021/ja01355a027
Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Hybrid Orbital Definition in Chemistry." ThoughtCo, Aug. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-hybrid-orbital-605218. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 29). Hybrid Orbital Definition in Chemistry. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-hybrid-orbital-605218 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Hybrid Orbital Definition in Chemistry." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-hybrid-orbital-605218 (accessed June 6, 2023).