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to illustrate the formation of hybrid orbitals. The 2s orbital and the three 2p orbitals in the carbon atom, for example, can combine to form four sp3 orbitals, each containing one electron (Figure 2.6). Formation of these hybrid orbitals can lead to an overall reduction in energy and, thus, to a more stable compound when the atom with the hybridized orbitals forms a bond with other atoms. Nitrogen and oxygen atoms can also form sp3 hybrid orbitals but one orbital in nitrogen and two orbitals in oxygen are filled with two electrons. As they are not available for bonding with other atoms, the two electrons in each of the filled orbitals are referred to as lone‐pair electrons.

Schematic illustration of the formation of four sp3 orbitals in (a) the carbon atom, (b) the nitrogen atom, and (c) the oxygen atom.

       One s orbital and one p orbital to form two sp orbits that are diametrically opposed to each other. The angle between the orbitals is 180°, giving a linear arrangement of the orbitals

       One s orbital and two p orbitals to form three sp2 orbitals at 120° to one another. The orbitals form a triangular arrangement in a single plane and they are said to form a trigonal planar arrangement

       One s orbital and three p orbitals to form four sp3 orbitals at 109.5° to one another. The orbitals point to the corners of a tetrahedron.

Schematic illustration of the directionality of sp, sp2, and sp3 hybrid orbitals. Schematic illustration of covalent bonding in methane, ammonia, and water molecules. The polarity of the bonds and lone pair electrons in ammonia and water are also shown. Schematic illustration of the formation and geometry of single, double, and triple bonds in (a) ethane, (b) ethylene, and (c) acetylene.

      In the ethylene molecule, each carbon atom has three sp2 hybrid orbitals and one unhybridized p orbital. Each sp2 orbital forms a σ bond with another carbon atom and with a hydrogen atom. In contrast, the two p orbitals, one from each carbon atom, can share their electrons in a side‐by‐side manner, perpendicular to the internuclear axis, to complete the valence shell of the carbon atom. This type of bond is called a pi (π) bond. The combination of the σ and π bonds results in a double bond between the carbon atoms. In the acetylene molecule, we have one σ bond between the two carbon atoms, due to sp hybrid orbitals in each carbon atom, plus two π bonds from the two unhybridized p orbitals, making a triple bond between the carbon atoms.

      In the case of the hydrocarbons, such as ethane, ethylene, and acetylene, for example, a triple bond between two carbon atoms has a higher bonding energy and a shorter interatomic distance than a double that, in turn, has a higher bonding energy and shorter interatomic distance than a single bond. Another important distinction between the single, double, and triple bonds is the freedom of one carbon atom to rotate about the internuclear axis with the other carbon atom. As the energy barrier for rotation is low, molecules can rotate freely around a single carbon–carbon bond. On the other hand, rotational motion is highly restricted around a double or a triple carbon–carbon bond. The ethylene molecule has a planar shape whereas the acetylene molecule is linear. Similar trends hold for bonds between other pairs of atoms, such as between carbon and nitrogen atoms. Overall, then, the presence of double and triple bonds has important consequences for the structure and, thus, the properties and function of covalent‐bonded molecules.

      Covalent Bonding in Ceramics

      Covalent‐bonded ceramics are characterized by intrinsic properties similar in nature to those described for ionic‐bonded ceramics (Section 2.6) but as the covalent bond can be stronger than the ionic bond, many covalent‐bonded ceramics have better mechanical properties, such as strength, elastic modulus and hardness, and a higher melting point.

      Covalent bonding appears in diamond, a crystalline form of carbon, often regarded as a prototypical example of covalent‐bonded ceramics. The atoms bonded to a given atom point to the corners of tetrahedron due to sp3 hybridization of the electron orbitals of the carbon atoms, giving a directional form of bonding (Chapter 3). Covalent bonding is the dominant type of bonding in many other ceramics, including carbides such as silicon

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