Summary:
- Paired electrons can be hybridized and then participate in covalent bonding.
- The process of sp hybridization is the mixing of an s orbital with a single p orbital (the pxorbital by convention), to form a set of two sp hybrids.
- The geometry of the sp hybrid orbitals is linear, with the lobes of the orbitals pointing in opposite directions along one axis, arbitrarily defined as the x-axis (see Figure below).
- Each can bond with a 1s orbital from a hydrogen atom to form the linear BeH2 molecule.