Answer to Question #33082 in Organic Chemistry for Pruthvik shankar

Question

differences between molecular orbitals and hybrid orbitals

Answer 1

MO is a mathematical function describing the wave-like behavior of electron. Molecular orbitals arise from allowed interactions between atomic orbitals, which are allowed if the symmetries (determined from group theory) of the atomic orbitals are compatible with each other. Efficiency of atomic orbital interactions is determined from the overlap (a measure of how well two orbitals constructively interact with one another) between two atomic orbitals, which is significant if the atomic orbitals are close in energy. Finally, the number of molecular orbitals that form must equal the number of atomic orbitals in the atoms being combined to form the molecule. There are bonding, antibonding, and nonbonding MOs.
In chemistry, hybridisation (or hybridization) is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals (with different energies, shapes, etc., than the actual orbitals hybridising) suitable for the pairing of electrons to form chemical bonds in valence bond theory. Hybrid orbitals are very useful in the explanation of molecular geometry and atomic bonding properties. Although sometimes taught together with the valence shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory, valence bond and hybridisation are in fact not related to the VSEPR model.