Question

Explain how is the electronegativity of carbon atoms related to their state of hybridization in an organic compound?

Answer 1

Electronegativity increases with increasing s-character. This is because s-electrons are more strongly attracted by the nucleus than p-electrons.

sp³ –25% s-character, 75% p-character

sp²–33% s-character, 67% p-character

sp–50% s-character, 50% p-character

Hence, the order of electronegativity is sp³ < sp² < sp