Numford
Hybridisation

Hybridisation of CHCl₃

C is sp³ hybridised (hybridization by the VSEPR count): 4 sigma bonds and no lone pairs give a tetrahedral shape, bond angle about 109.5°.

ClClCHCl
  • C
  • H
  • Cl

CHCl₃Chloroform

Tetrahedral

AB₄: 4 bond pairs, no lone pairs

  • Hybridisationsp³
  • Bond angleabout 109.5°
  • Polaritypolar

Why this shape

  1. C has 4 valence electrons. It uses four in one single bond to H and three single bonds to Cl, so none are left over.
  2. Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so C is sp³ hybridised.
  3. Four electron pairs point to the corners of a tetrahedron (tetrahedral electron geometry). With no lone pairs the atoms take the same shape: tetrahedral.
  4. There is no lone pair, but one bond is C-H and three are C-Cl, so the angles are close to 109.5 degrees but not all equal.
  5. The bond dipoles do not cancel in the tetrahedral shape, so CHCl₃ is polar.

Lewis structure

26 valence electrons
CHClClCl

Formal charges: none

Working

Why this hybridisation and shape

  1. C has 4 valence electrons. It uses four in one single bond to H and three single bonds to Cl, so none are left over.
  2. Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so C is sp³ hybridised.
  3. Four electron pairs point to the corners of a tetrahedron (tetrahedral electron geometry). With no lone pairs the atoms take the same shape: tetrahedral.
  4. There is no lone pair, but one bond is C-H and three are C-Cl, so the angles are close to 109.5 degrees but not all equal.
  5. The bond dipoles do not cancel in the tetrahedral shape, so CHCl₃ is polar.

Class 11, Chapter 4 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure.

Questions

Hybridisation of CHCl3: quick answers

What is the hybridisation of CHCl3?

C has 4 valence electrons. It uses four in one single bond to H and three single bonds to Cl, so none are left over. Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so C is sp³ hybridised.

What is the shape of CHCl3 and its bond angle?

Tetrahedral, with a bond angle of about 109.5 degrees. Four electron pairs point to the corners of a tetrahedron (tetrahedral electron geometry). With no lone pairs the atoms take the same shape: tetrahedral. There is no lone pair, but one bond is C-H and three are C-Cl, so the angles are close to 109.5 degrees but not all equal.

Is CHCl3 polar or non-polar?

Polar. The bond dipoles do not cancel in the tetrahedral shape, so CHCl₃ is polar.

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