Q 4CYL

Question

Another acid in acid rain is nitric acid, HNO3, which is produced by the reaction of nitrogen dioxide, NO2, with atmospheric water vapor. What is the hybridization of the nitrogen atom in NO2? (Note: the lone electron on nitrogen occupies a hybridized orbital just as a lone pair would.)

Step-by-Step Solution

Verified
Answer

The sp2 hybridization of a nitrogen atom.

1Step 1: Define hybridization

Hybridization is a concept in organic chemistry that is used to explain chemical bonding when the valence bond theory fails to provide an adequate explanation. This hypothesis is particularly useful for explaining organic molecules' covalent bonding.

2Step 2: Explanation

The hybridization is sp2.