The hybrid orbitals used by the nitrogen atom in NCl₃ are:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nitrogen in NCl₃ forms three sigma bonds with one chlorine atom and two sulfur atoms, and has one lone pair. The nitrogen needs four orbitals to accommodate these four electron pairs (three bonding pairs and one lone pair). Therefore, hybridization is required. The hybridization of nitrogen in this molecule is sp³, which means that one s orbital and three p orbitals of nitrogen hybridize to form four sp3 hybrid orbitals.

The Hybrid Orbitals Used by the Nitrogen Atom in NCl3

The Hybrid Orbitals Used by the Nitrogen Atom in NCl₃