Are hybridized orbitals used to explain the fact that the four bonds in methane are equivalent? If not, what is?
Yes. C is 1s2 2s2 2p2.
One of the 2s electrons is promoted to the 2p to make C 1s2 2s1 3p3, then the s and p orbitals are mixed to make 4 sp3 hybrid bonds (about 1/4 s character and 3/4 p character). All of those bonds are equivalent.
Yes, hybridized orbitals are indeed used to explain the fact that the four bonds in methane (CH4) are equivalent. This explanation is based on the concept of hybridization, which involves the combination of atomic orbitals to form hybrid orbitals.
To understand this concept, let's start with the electron configuration of the carbon atom in its ground state: 1s^22s^22p^2. In methane, carbon is bonded to four hydrogen atoms. In order for carbon to form four equivalent bonds, it needs four unpaired electrons. However, in the ground state, carbon has only two unpaired electrons available for bonding in the 2p orbitals.
To overcome this limitation, carbon undergoes hybridization. Specifically, it undergoes sp3 hybridization, which involves the combination of one 2s orbital and three 2p orbitals to form four new hybrid orbitals. These hybrid orbitals are called sp3 hybrid orbitals because they are a combination of one s orbital and three p orbitals.
The process of hybridization results in four sp3 hybrid orbitals, each of which contains one unpaired electron. Carbon can then form bonds by overlapping its four sp3 hybrid orbitals with the 1s orbitals of the four hydrogen atoms, resulting in four equivalent C-H sigma bonds. These bonds are equivalent because they are formed by the overlap of the same type of hybrid orbital on carbon.
In summary, hybridized orbitals, specifically sp3 hybrid orbitals, are used to explain why the four bonds in methane are equivalent. The combination of atomic orbitals in the hybridization process allows carbon to have four unpaired electrons available for bonding, resulting in four equivalent sigma bonds.