Numford
Hybridisation

Hybridisation of H₂SO₄

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

OOSHOOH
  • S
  • O
  • H

H₂SO₄Sulphuric acid

Tetrahedral

AB₄: 4 bond pairs, no lone pairs

  • Hybridisationsp³
  • Bond angleabout 109.5°
  • Polaritypolar

Why this shape

  1. S has 6 valence electrons. It uses six in two double bonds to O and two single bonds to O, so none are left over.
  2. Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so S is sp³ hybridised. A double or triple bond counts once: only its sigma bond uses a hybrid orbital.
  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 on S, but two bonds are S=O and two are S-OH, so the shape is a slightly distorted tetrahedron.
  5. The bond dipoles do not cancel in the tetrahedral shape, so H₂SO₄ is polar.

Lewis structure

32 valence electrons
i

NCERT uses H2SO4 as an example of an expanded octet: S has 12 electrons around it.

SOOOOHH

Formal charges: none

Working

Why this hybridisation and shape

  1. S has 6 valence electrons. It uses six in two double bonds to O and two single bonds to O, so none are left over.
  2. Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so S is sp³ hybridised. A double or triple bond counts once: only its sigma bond uses a hybrid orbital.
  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 on S, but two bonds are S=O and two are S-OH, so the shape is a slightly distorted tetrahedron.
  5. The bond dipoles do not cancel in the tetrahedral shape, so H₂SO₄ is polar.

Class 11, Chapter 4 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure.

Questions

Hybridisation of H2SO4: quick answers

What is the hybridisation of H2SO4?

S has 6 valence electrons. It uses six in two double bonds to O and two single bonds to O, so none are left over. Steric number = four sigma bonds + no lone pairs = 4, so S is sp³ hybridised. A double or triple bond counts once: only its sigma bond uses a hybrid orbital.

What is the shape of H2SO4 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 on S, but two bonds are S=O and two are S-OH, so the shape is a slightly distorted tetrahedron.

Is H2SO4 polar or non-polar?

Polar. The bond dipoles do not cancel in the tetrahedral shape, so H₂SO₄ is polar.

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