If anyone has "Chemistry", 2nd edition, published in the Complete Idiot's Guide series, please read pages 111 to 114 on hybrid orbitals. I got this far before being stymied by what seem to be multiple errors or "errata" in the text. The electrons per hybrid orbital do not seem to add up or be logically possible. And I am not smart enough to figure out what the numbers should be. Since the number of electrons in the hybrid orbitals is key to understanding the concept, I can go no further. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I know some conclude that an "Idiot's Guide" cannot be a serious textbook. Don't be fooled by the title, they are serious text's but written, generally, in a style that is easier for some people--not necessarily idiots -- to understand. But errors and textbook errata are never helpful.
I don't have the book, but if you can quote the problem passage, or direct me to somewhere on the web where the troublesome text can be seen, I might be able to comment on it. The only general comment I can make is you can have a maximum of 2 electrons per orbital, of opposite spin orientation, due to Pauli's Exclusion Principle. The ground state of the molecule will have all the electrons in the orbitals of the lowest energy possible, subject to the Exclusion Principle. Does the text appear to say something different and if so in what what way?
