Orbital controls

Hybrid Orbital Visualizer

Build a structure. Explore overlap and bond-axis rotation.

Build

New centre

Attach to centre Available hybrid

Selected centre

Centre Hybridization

Bonded centres twist about a fixed σ axis; attached branches follow. Isolated centres rotate freely.

Display

Controls background

Orbital transparency0%

SolidTransparent

Orbital colours

Hybrids: blue · p: purple · 1s: pink. Lighter shades show + phase; darker shades show − phase. Matching signs are in phase, even across different orbital types. Terminal 1s orbitals use the + sign convention.

Hybrid orbitals Unhybridized p orbitals Show terminal 1s orbitals Show orbital labels

More display options

Show opposite hybrid lobes Show orientation axes Show geometry guides Show in-phase π overlap Show σ/π bond markers Show overlap description Auto-rotate scene

Electrons

Add an electron Remove an electron

Click an orbital to add an electron. Shift-click to remove it. Two electrons in one orbital form a lone pair. Bonding electrons are faint; lone pairs stay opaque. A brief pulse and a σ or π marker indicate a formed bond; orbital colours stay unchanged.

Select an orbital.

Bond sound

Sound on bond formationVolume 20%

Overlap & centre information

Overlap pair

Geometry—Hybrids—Ideal angles—s character—Orbitals mixed—Remaining p—

Examples, files & exports

Teaching example

Choose a hybridization and add your first centre.

Both formats are vector, with labels, axes and colours. Controls are omitted.

About this model

The smooth surfaces illustrate orbital shape and phase; they are schematic, not calculated electron densities. Matching phases can give π overlap before electrons are added. One electron in each overlapping orbital forms a bond. Orbital colours retain their phase/type meaning; faint bonding electrons and neutral σ/π markers distinguish bonds from opaque lone pairs. Each p orbital belongs to at most one localized π bond; conjugation is not represented. The sp³d and sp³d² sets are geometric teaching models. Bond-axis rotation illustrates torsion without moving the reference σ axis. Isolated centres and the whole scene can turn freely through full rotations; a ring cannot twist independently without changing its geometry.

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Start a structure

Choose the hybridization of your first centre.

Hybridization

Then select a free hybrid to attach the next centre.

Rotate centre about σ axis σ axisTorsion

Drag a centre or its orbital to twist it. Drag empty space to rotate the scene.

Hybrid orbital overlap

π overlap: select a pair with unhybridized p orbitals.

Build: click a free hybrid to preview an attachment. Drag empty space to rotate the scene. Wheel to zoom.