Question

explain bonding in CH4 using the valence bond theory

Answer 1

Answer:

Most general chemistry textbooks invoke sp3 hybridization to explain the bonding in the tetrahedral

methane (CH4) molecule. The idea (valence bond theory, VBT) is that good overlap between the atomic

orbitals centered on carbon and hydrogen leads to strong bonds. The problem is that the carbon 2s and

2p valence orbitals don’t point in the tetrahedral directions occupied by the hydrogen 1s valence

orbitals. Linus Pauling solved this problem in 1931 by mathematically hybridizing carbon’s 2s and 2p

orbitals so that the resulting hybrids (linear combinations) point toward the hydrogen 1s orbitals.