Question

The force used to explain that the four bonds in methane are equivalent is:

(A) hydrogen bonding
(B) hybridization
(C) ionic bonding
(D) resonance
(E) van der Waals forces (London dispersion forces)"

Answer 1

The force used to explain that the four bonds in methane are equivalent is hybridization.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a molecule like methane (CH4), the force used to explain that the four bonds are equivalent is hybridization. Hybridization is the mixing of atomic orbitals to produce a set of hybrid orbitals. In the case of methane, the carbon atom undergoes sp³ hybridization, resulting in four equivalent sp³ hybridized orbitals that overlap with the hydrogen orbitals to form four C-H bonds.