What does an sp2 orbital look like?

1 Answer
Ernest Z.
Dec 14, 2016

An "sp"^2 orbital looks like a stubby mushroom.

Explanation:

There are three "sp"^2 orbitals, each formed by the combination of a "2s" orbital and two "2p" orbitals.

They are all the same shape, and they point toward the corners of an equilateral triangle.

sp2
(From 2012 Book Archive)

An "sp"^2 orbital resembles both an "s" and a "p" orbital.

The big lobe is roughly spherical like an "s" orbital, and the two lobes are separated by a nodal surface like a "p" orbital.

For convenience, we often draw an "sp"^2 orbital with an elongated teardrop shape and even omit the small lobe, but that is not the real shape of the orbital.

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