Answer
“The methane molecule (CH₄) is a tetrahedral molecule because it is sp³ hybridized.”
Work Step by Step
1) Reasoning in the first statement:
The molecule’s geometry (tetrahedral) is explained by the electron configuration and orbital hybridization (sp³).
Methane has four valence electrons on carbon, and sp³ hybridization produces four equivalent orbitals that arrange themselves as far apart as possible, resulting in tetrahedral geometry.
This is the causal explanation: hybridization → geometry.
2) Reasoning in the second statement:
“CH₄ is sp³ hybridized because it is tetrahedral” implies that the geometry causes the hybridization, which is less accurate.
Hybridization arises from the need to form equivalent bonds, not the other way around. Geometry is a result of the hybrid orbitals, not their cause.
The more correct statement is:
“The methane molecule (CH₄) is a tetrahedral molecule because it is sp³ hybridized.”
