Orbital hybridization In chemistry , hybridization is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals (with different energies, shapes, etc., than the component atomic orbitals) suitable for the pairing of electrons to form chemical bonds in valence bond theory . Hybrid orbitals are very useful in the explanation of molecular geometry and atomic bonding properties. Although sometimes taught together with the valence shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory , valence bond and hybridization are in fact not related to the VSEPR model. History Chemist Linus Pauling first developed the hybridization theory in 1931 in order to explain the structure of simple molecules such as methane (CH 4 ) using atomic orbitals . Pauling pointed out that a carbon atom forms four bonds by using one s and three p orbitals, so that "it might be inferred" that a carbon atom would form three bonds at right angles (using p orbitals) and a fourth weaker bond ...
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