Question

What orbital hybridization is expected for the central atom in a molecule with a square planar geometry ? A) sp3d B) sp3 C) sp2 D) sp3d2

Answer 1

The answer is D) `sp^3d^2`.

According to VSEPR Theory, a square planar molecular geometry corresponds to an `AX_4E_2` molecule.

In this type of molecule, the central atom has 2 lone pairs of electrons attached and is also bonded to 4 other atoms. This means that it is surrounded by 6 regions of electron density.

The number of regions of electron density that surround an atom is given by the steric number, which also determines the central atom's hybridization.

In this case, the central atom will have 6 hybridized orbitals, which corresponds to an `sp^3d^2` hybridization.