Final answer:
Hybridization involves the mixing of atomic orbitals (true), determines the molecule's geometry (true), occurs in covalent bonding (not ionic bonding, hence false), and does not change the number of valence electrons (false). Hybrid orbitals form sigma bonds and represent the geometry of electron pairs according to VSEPR theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question addresses the concept of hybridization in chemical bonding, which is central to understanding molecular geometry in covalent molecules. The true statements regarding hybridization are:
- A) It involves the mixing of atomic orbitals. The process of hybridization indeed involves the combination of atomic orbitals to create hybrid orbitals with new shapes and energies suitable for forming covalent bonds.
- B) It determines the geometry of molecules. The types of hybrid orbitals formed depend on the VSEPR theory, which predicts the electron-pair geometry, thus influencing the spatial arrangement of atoms within a molecule.
Statement C) is incorrect as hybridization occurs in covalent bonding, not ionic bonding. Statement D) is not true because hybridization does not change the number of valence electrons; it just redistributes them into new hybrid orbitals.
Hybridization only involves σ (sigma) bonds, lone pairs, and radicals. It creates equivalent sets of orbitals, as seen in the example of sp hybridization in BeCl₂, where an s orbital and a p orbital combine to create two sp hybrid orbitals for bonding with chlorine atoms.