Question

Explain why a carbon atom cannot form five bonds using sp³d hybrid orbitals.

a) There are not enough valence electrons.
b) Carbon can only form four bonds.
c) sp³d hybridization is not possible for carbon.
d) Carbon can form five bonds with sp³d hybridization.

Answer 1

Carbon cannot form five bonds using sp³d hybrid orbitals because it only has four valence electrons and lacks d orbitals in its valence shell.

Step-by-step explanation:

In valence bond theory, hybridization is used to explain the geometry of bonding orbitals. Carbon has four valence electrons, so it can form four covalent bonds. The most common hybridization for carbon is sp³, which forms four sigma bonds by hybridizing one s orbital and three p orbitals.

Since carbon has only four valence electrons, it cannot form five bonds using sp³d hybrid orbitals. The hybridization sp³d is not possible for carbon because it would require the involvement of d orbitals that are not available in the valence shell of carbon.