Organic Chemistry MCAT Practice Exam

In methane (CH₄), the carbon atom is bonded to four hydrogen atoms. To understand the hybridization of the carbon atom, we need to consider its electron configuration and the nature of its bonds.

Carbon has four valence electrons and, in methane, it forms four equivalent single covalent bonds with the hydrogen atoms. To accommodate these four bonds geometrically, the carbon undergoes hybridization.

In this case, the carbon atom's 2s and three 2p orbitals combine to form four equivalent hybrid orbitals. This process results in sp³ hybridization. The sp³ hybrid orbitals arrange themselves in a tetrahedral geometry to minimize electron pair repulsion according to VSEPR theory, leading to bond angles of approximately 109.5 degrees. Each of these sp³ hybrid orbitals overlaps with the 1s orbital of a hydrogen atom to form a stable C-H bond.

Thus, the correct hybridization for the carbon atom in methane is indeed sp³.