How does the carbon-atom hybridization change when polyethylene is prepared from ethylene?

The concept of intermixing two atomic orbitals to give rise to a new type of hybridized orbitals. This results in the formation of hybrid orbitals having entirely different energies, shapes, etc.

Polymerization of ethylene generates polyethylene.

Let's look at the structure of ethylene.

Ethylene, or ethane, is the simplest alkene known, consisting of two carbon atoms, four hydrogen atoms, and a double bond between the carbon atoms.

When it polymerizes into polyethylene, it takes on an alkane structure, which is made up of single carbon atom bonds.

So, if ethane originally an alkene, it most likely underwent\(s{p^2}\)hybridization before switching to\(s{p^3}\)hybridization because the double bond was the last to form and the former ethylene structure only has a single bond.

This is the change in hybridization produced by the ethylene structure being connected.

Hybridization of C-atom changes from sp²to sp³.