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LIVE LAB 10 • CHEMICAL BONDING
See how central-atom s and p character redistribute between bonds, then connect hybrid character with angles, placement and bond length.
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COMPLETE CONCEPT GUIDE
Hybrid orbitals on a central atom need not have identical compositions. Bent’s rule helps explain how their s and p character changes when the surrounding substituents have different electronegativities.
Bent’s rule states that central-atom s character tends to concentrate in bonds toward more electropositive substituents. Bonds toward more electronegative substituents tend to receive more p character.
Ideal sp, sp² and sp³ pictures are useful starting points. In a molecule with unlike substituents, redistribution of hybrid character can contribute to deviations from ideal angles. Lone pairs, steric effects and the bonding environment also matter.
Greater s character often gives a shorter, stronger bond when comparing otherwise similar bonds. Do not compare unrelated bonds using s character alone: atom size, bond order and polarity also affect the observed length.
BENT'S RULE FAQ
In Bent’s rule, the central atom directs more p character toward more electronegative substituents and more s character toward more electropositive ones.
No. VSEPR gives a useful geometry framework from electron domains. Bent’s rule adds a qualitative explanation of how hybrid character can be distributed unequally within that framework.
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