C2H4 Hybridization

 C₂H₄ Hybridization

In the formation of ethene molecule, one of the sp² hybrid orbitals of carbon atom overlaps axially with sp² hybridized orbitals of another carbon atom to form C-C sigma bond. While the other two sp² hybrid orbitals of each carbon atom are used for making sp²-s sigma bond with two hydrogen atoms. The unhybridised orbital (2p_x or 2p_y) of one carbon atom overlaps sidewise with the similar orbital of the other carbon atom to form weak 𝜋 bond, which consists of two equal electron clouds distributed above and below the plane of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

Thus, in ethane molecule, the carbon-carbon bond consists of one sp²-sp² sigma bond and one pi (𝜋) bond between p orbitals which are not used in the hybridization and are perpendicular to the plane of molecule; the bond length 134 pm. The C-H bond is sp²-s sigma with bond length 108 pm. The H-C-H bond angle is 117.6 while the H-C-C angle is 121. The formation of sigma and pi bonds in ethene is shown below figure.