when an atom is bonded to other atoms, it can combine its valence shell orbital to form a new set of orbitals that is at a lower total energy in the presence of the other atoms than the pure atomic orbitals would be. this process is called hybridization, and the new orbitals that are formed are called hybrid orbitals. these hybrid orbitals can overlap with orbitals on other atoms to share electrons and form bonds. such hybrid orbitals usually give an improved description of the experimentally observed geometry of the molecule or ion. in fact, the concept of hybrid orbitals was developed specifically to explain the geometries of polyatomic ions and molecules. fill in the blanks below. it is useful to think of as a process in which atomic orbitals mix, hybrid form, they overlap other orbitals, and electrons enter the overlap region with opposing spins, thus forming stable bonds.