How many lobes does a single sp3 hybrid orbital have?

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Answer 1 · 2016-09-09T14:43:40

A single $s p^{3}$ $sp^3$ orbital has two lobes.

An $s p^{3}$ $sp^3$ orbital has both $s$ $s$ character and $p$ $p$ character.

Thus, like an $s$ $s$ orbital, it has a lobe that resembles a sphere.

And, like a $p$ $p$ orbital, it has 2 lobes and a nodal surface.

sp3
(From saylordotorg.github.io)

The big lobe (blue) is nearly spherical and represents the $s$ $s$ character of the orbital.

The smaller lobe (yellow) and the nodal surface represent the $p$ $p$ character of the orbital.

We usually draw the big lobe with a teardrop shape for convenience, but it is really much fatter than a teardrop.