Quantum Entanglement & Hybridization

[LilandB]

I'm conflicted about how hybridization and quantum entanglement can simultaneously co-exist. I'm first confused about how quantum entanglement was proven. I tried to read to proves (I'm in grade 11 and planning on writing an ee on this) and it flew relatively over my head. Hybridization states that some of the electrons will switch orbital direction in order to add more bonds (simplified). But because of that, wouldn't the other electron also switch direction because of quantum entanglement? Assuming that it's easy to replicate quantum entanglement (I doubt it is), we could just forcefully change the orbital direction of an electron and know that the other electron would be in the opposite direction. But this would allow for information to travel faster than the speed of light which is no Bueno (we could allow information to travel through like a boolean value).

 

[DrClaude]

Hybrid orbitals are not "real." They are approximations to actual wave functions that are useful to understand the bonding and geometry of molecules. In fact, placing individual electrons in orbitals is itself an approximation: the actual multi-electron wave function is a more complicated beast.

Also, hybridization is not a dynamic process. It concerns stationary states of the atom. Rearrangement of electrons during chemical reactions is again a much more complicated process.

To better understand entanglement, I suggest you take a look at @DrChinese's website on Bell's theorem.

 

[PeroK]

I'm conflicted about how hybridization and quantum entanglement can simultaneously co-exist. I'm first confused about how quantum entanglement was proven. I tried to read to proves (I'm in grade 11 and planning on writing an ee on this) and it flew relatively over my head.

I suggest you need to take QM one step at a time. Nothing will make sense until you have a good grasp of the basics.

 

[hacivat]

Hybrid orbitals are not "real."

They are as real as "actual" (??) wavefunctions. Schrödinger equation is a linear equation and linear combinations of solutions are perfectly valid solutions.

 

[DrClaude]

They are as real as "actual" (??) wavefunctions. Schrödinger equation is a linear equation and linear combinations of solutions are perfectly valid solutions.

Actual many-electron wave functions are not product of single-electron wave functions. Saying that a given electron is in a sp³ orbital is an approximation of the actual electronic structure of an atom.

 

[hacivat]

This is one of the cases "chemistry vs. physics" approach sounds different. The word "actual" means nothing to me. All we do is try to explain a complex reality with some models. Whether it is Schrödinger or Dirac eq or LCAO, etc... In this sense every explanation is an approximation.

 

[hutchphd]

This is one of the cases "chemistry vs. physics" approach sounds different. The word "actual" means nothing to me. All we do is try to explain a complex reality with some models. Whether it is Schrödinger or Dirac eq or LCAO, etc... In this sense every explanation is an approximation.

And this is not license for you to make silly statements and proclaim "well it's only an approximation". On the Approximation Farm, some approximations are more equal than others.

They are as real as "actual" (??) wavefunctions. Schrödinger equation is a linear equation and linear combinations of solutions are perfectly valid solutions.

Unfortunately they are not perfectly valid solutions to the Hamiltonian in question. For instance the electrons carry charge, and therefore directly interact.

 

[vanhees71]

This is one of the cases "chemistry vs. physics" approach sounds different. The word "actual" means nothing to me. All we do is try to explain a complex reality with some models. Whether it is Schrödinger or Dirac eq or LCAO, etc... In this sense every explanation is an approximation.

There is no "chemistry vs. physics" in QT. Chemistry is a specialization of physics. There cannot be any contradiction between physics and chemistry. Both are exact natural sciences!