> I was reading Chapter 3, sections 7 and 8, and I was confused. I
> understand that the hybridized orbital with the most s character is the
> most stable,but how does this relate to how acidic the compound is?
> Thanks!
>
Jolene, I was a bit confused by this at first also... Consider
the structure of ethyne. With a c-c triple bond and a terminal H, it
would stand to reason that the combined nuclei of the 2 C atoms would
exert a "force" to pull the electron from the H (It's almost the same
with HCl- Cl has a greater electronegativty and small atomic size, so it
kinda "steals" the electron away from the H).
Think of it as a big kid (ethyne) stealing the lunch money (the
electron) away from a littler kid (the H) when they didn't want to hang
out with him any more. Hope I didn't confuse you more...