Which concept describes the mixing of atomic orbitals to produce new orbitals of equal energy?

• A. Malleability
• B. Dipole
• C. Hybridization
• D. Solvent

Answer: (C)

Orbital hybridization is the mixing of atomic orbitals on the same atom to form new orbitals whose energies are the same, or degenerate. These hybrid orbitals—like sp3, sp2, and sp—have specific shapes and directions that suit bonding geometry. For example, carbon using four equivalent sp3 hybrids forms four sigma bonds arranged in a tetrahedral shape with bond angles about 109.5 degrees. In other cases, such as sp2 or sp, the number and direction of bonds change because only a subset of orbitals hybrids while the remaining p orbitals participate in pi bonding. The idea is that combining different orbitals creates a set of equal-energy orbitals that can efficiently overlap with other atoms to produce stable bonds and predictable molecular geometry. The other terms describe properties or processes unrelated to forming these degenerate hybrid orbitals.