What is the hybridization of the nitrogen atoms in dinitrogen?
The nitrogen atoms in dinitrogen use sp hybridization, which means that the nitrogen atoms each have one electron in an s orbital and three electrons in p orbitals. This hybridization allows the nitrogen atoms to form a triple bond with each other.
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2) sp2: Hybridization of sp2 involves one s orbital and two p orbitals to form three hybrid orbitals, which are arranged in a trigonal planar geometry. However, the nitrogen atoms in dinitrogen use sp hybridization, which involves one s orbital and one p orbital to form two hybrid orbitals that are used in the triple bond.
3) sp3: Hybridization of sp3 involves one s orbital and three p orbitals to form four hybrid orbitals, which are arranged in a tetrahedral geometry. However, dinitrogen only has two nitrogen atoms that are bonded by a triple bond, and the two nitrogen atoms are arranged in a linear geometry, which means that the hybridization is sp.
4) sp3d: Hybridization of sp3d involves one s orbital, three p orbitals, and one d orbital to form five hybrid orbitals, which are arranged in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry. However, this type of hybridization is not relevant for dinitrogen, which only contains two nitrogen atoms.