What is the excited state of carbon?

1 Answer
Meave60
Sep 10, 2014

The ground state electron configuration of carbon is "1""s"^"2""2s"^"2"2"""p""^2. An excited state electron configuration of carbon is "1""s"^"2""2s"^1"2p"^3". This is the state of carbon when it undergoes chemical bonding to form four covalent bonds, as in methane, "CH"_"4". However, the experimental evidence shows that all four bonds have the same energy, which can only be explained by the concept that the 2s and 2p orbitals hybridize to form four "sp"^3 orbitals, each with one unpaired electron.

![agabondguru.com/BluePenguinReportDaily/2009/04/carbon_deux.html](useruploads.socratic.org)

![agabondguru.com/BluePenguinReportDaily/2009/04/carbon_deux.html](useruploads.socratic.org)

![agabondguru.com/BluePenguinReportDaily/2009/04/carbon_deux.html](useruploads.socratic.org)

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