Atomic Orbitals And Quantum Numbers

Quantum Numbers A series of 4 numbers (and/or letters) that specify the properties of an electron in its orbit The first 3 come from the Schrödinger equation solutions (energy level, shape and orientation of the orbital) The last one describes the electron occupying the orbital

Principal Quantum Number Symbol is n Indicates the energy level (or shell) As n increases, so does distance from the nucleus Total number of orbitals (each can hold 2 electrons) in an energy level is n 2

Angular Momentum Quantum Number Shape of the orbital Symbol is l Number of possible shapes for an energy level is equal to n Values possible for l are zero and positive integers up to n-1 Values for l also have letter designations

Letter Designations for l l=0 l=1 l=2 l=3 s (shape is spherical)‏ p (shape is dumbbell)‏ d (shape is multiple dumbbell)‏ f (shape is complex)‏

To Designate Electrons: Electrons in the s sublevel of shell 2 would be 2s Electrons in the p sublevel of shell 3 would be 3p

Magnetic Quantum Number Indicates the orientation around x, y and z axes Symbol is m Values range from -l to +l For example, for l=2, there are 5 orientations: - 2, -1, 0, +1, +2

Spin Quantum Number Only two possible values, +1/2 or -1/2 Single orbital (such as 3p x ) can only hold 2 electrons, each of which has opposite spin