Sphybridization

Sphybridization is not a standard term in chemistry; when encountered, it is often a misspelling or mispronunciation of sp hybridization, a valence bond model describing how atomic orbitals mix to form two equivalent hybrid orbitals.

In sp hybridization, one s orbital and one p orbital on the same atom combine to form two identical sp hybrid orbitals. These hybrids point in opposite directions, giving linear arrangements with bond angles of about 180 degrees. The remaining two p orbitals on the atom remain unhybridized and can participate in pi bonding with adjacent atoms. This combination allows the atom to form two sigma bonds while also enabling multiple bonds through pi interactions.

Sp hybridization commonly explains the geometry of molecules with two electron domains around a central atom. For example, in acetylene (ethyne), each carbon uses one sp hybrid orbital to form a sigma bond to the other carbon and one to a hydrogen, while the two remaining p orbitals on each carbon form two pi bonds, resulting in a C≡C triple bond with linear geometry. BeCl2 in the gas phase also adopts a linear arrangement due to sp hybrids on beryllium forming two sigma bonds.

Sp hybridization is part of the broader hybridization framework, alongside sp2 and sp3, used to rationalize molecular shapes in teaching and qualitative analysis. In modern quantum chemistry, molecular orbital theory provides a more nuanced description, but hybridization remains a useful simplified model for understanding bonding and geometry in many organic and inorganic species. The term “sphybridization” is therefore typically treated as a referent to sp hybridization.