Re: CCL:HYBRIDIZATION NOT "REAL";V. FOCK

[Alan.Shusterman;at;directory.reed.edu (Alan Shusterman)]

 Before people get too worked up about the "reality" of hybridization,
 they might pause and enjoy this quote from Coulson's "Valence", p.
 219, section 8.14 Status of hybridization:
 
 "The previous discussion has brought out clearly the very wide context in
 which hybridization seems to be relevant. We must not, however, allow ourselves
 to believe that it represents any real 'phenomenon', any more than resonance
 between different structures such as the covalent and ionic ones of a polar bond
 may be called a 'phenomenon'. But we can at least say:
 (a) that hybridization is the most efective way of preserving the concept of a
 localized bond with perfect pairing of orbitals on the two atoms of the
 bond;
 (b) that it is a restricted form of resonance, so that a residual resonance, due
 to alternative schemes of pairing, still exists."
 
 I don't see anything here to disagree with.
 
 -Alan
 
 ====
 Alan Shusterman
 Department of Chemistry
 Reed College
 Portland, OR 97202