(a) Draw an orbital overlap picture of ethane (CH3CH3), assuming both carbon atoms are sp3 hybridized. What are the C–H bond angles in this drawing? (b) Draw an orbital overlap picture of ethane, assuming both carbon atoms are sp2 hybridized. What are the C–H bond angles in this drawing? (c) The real structure of ethane is like the picture you drew in part (a). Use VSEPR theory to explain why your picture from part (a) makes a more stable molecule than your picture in part (b).

Hybridization is the process of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals that can accommodate the bonding requirements of atoms in a molecule. In ethane (C2H6), the carbon atoms undergo sp3 hybridization, resulting in four equivalent sp3 hybrid orbitals that form sigma bonds with hydrogen atoms and between the carbon atoms. This hybridization leads to a tetrahedral geometry with bond angles of approximately 109.5 degrees.

Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) theory is a model used to predict the geometry of individual molecules based on the repulsion between electron pairs in the valence shell of the central atom. According to VSEPR, electron pairs will arrange themselves to minimize repulsion, leading to specific molecular shapes. In the case of ethane with sp3 hybridization, the tetrahedral arrangement minimizes repulsion, resulting in a more stable structure compared to the trigonal planar arrangement of sp2 hybridized carbons.

Bond angles are the angles formed between two adjacent bonds at an atom in a molecule. In ethane, the sp3 hybridized carbon atoms create bond angles of about 109.5 degrees due to their tetrahedral arrangement. In contrast, if the carbon atoms were sp2 hybridized, the bond angles would be approximately 120 degrees, leading to a less stable configuration in the context of ethane's actual structure, which favors the sp3 hybridization.