In sp hybridization, the s orbital overlaps with only one p orbital. Atoms that exhibit sp hybridization have sp orbitals that are linearly oriented; two sp orbitals will be at 180 degrees to each other.
Any central atom surrounded by just two regions of valence electron density in a molecule will exhibit sp hybridization. Some examples include the mercury atom in the linear HgCl2 molecule, the zinc atom in Zn(CH3)2, which contains a linear C–Zn–C arrangement, the carbon atoms in HCCH and CO2, and the Be atom in BeCl2. This last example will be discussed in more detail below.
sp Hybridization in BeCl2
The beryllium atom in a gaseous BeCl2 molecule is an example of a central atom with no lone pairs of electrons in a linear arrangement of three atoms. There are two regions of valence electron density in the BeCl2 molecule that correspond to the two covalent Be–Cl bonds. To accommodate these two electron domains, two of the Be atom’s four valence orbitals will mix to yield two hybrid orbitals.
When atomic orbitals hybridize, the valence electrons occupy the newly created orbitals. The Be atom had two valence electrons, so each of the sp orbitals gets one of these electrons. Each of these electrons pairs up with the unpaired electron on a chlorine atom when a hybrid orbital and a chlorine orbital overlap during the formation of the Be–Cl bonds.
The hybridization process involves mixing of the valence s orbital with one of the valence p orbitals to yield two equivalent sp hybrid orbitals that are oriented in a linear geometry.
s and p Orbitals Combining to Form Two sp Orbitals
Hybridization of an s orbital and a p orbital of the same atom produces two sp hybrid orbitals. Each hybrid orbital is oriented primarily in just one direction. Note that each sp orbital contains one lobe that is significantly larger than the other. The set of two sp orbitals are oriented at 180°, which is consistent with the geometry for two domains.
The set of sp orbitals appears similar in shape to the original p orbital, but there is an important difference. The number of atomic orbitals combined always equals the number of hybrid orbitals formed. The p orbital is one orbital that can hold up to two electrons. The sp set is two equivalent orbitals that point 180° from each other. The two electrons that were originally in the s orbital are now distributed to the two sp orbitals, which are half filled.
In gaseous BeCl2, these half-filled hybrid orbitals will overlap with orbitals from the chlorine atoms to form two identical σ bonds.
Energy Level Diagrams for sp Orbitals
The electronic differences in an isolated Be atom and in the bonded Be atom can be illustrated using an orbital energy-level diagram. These diagrams represent each orbital by a horizontal line (indicating its energy) and each electron by an arrow. Energy increases toward the top of the diagram. We use one upward arrow to indicate one electron in an orbital and two arrows (up and down) to indicate two electrons of opposite spin.
Orbital Energy-Level Diagrams For Isolated and Bonded Be
The left orbital energy-level diagram shows both electrons of Be in the 2s orbital. The right energy-level diagrams shows sp hybridized orbitals on Be in the linear BeCl2 molecule. Each of the two sp hybrid orbitals holds one electron and is thus half filled and available for bonding via overlap with a Cl 3p orbital.