Energy Level, Subenergy Level, And Orbitals

ChemistryWiki | RecentChanges | Preferences

Schrodinger mathematically showed that we have "cut up" the region outside the nucleus into smaller regions where the electrons are "located" (actually highest probability of finding the electrons) into 3 major subsections as follows.

Remember for Scrodinger these are the solution to Bohr equation (probability plots) spun in 3 dimensions to create the region:

*[Atomic orbital pictures after electron configuration]. Can click on this website to view actual pictures of orbitals and subenergy levels





With an understanding of the above subsection, another way of explaining what is going on is:

Is all the regions outside the nucleus accounted for when you sum all the orbitals, subenergy level and energy level?

Note: There is another way to explain the above information. Basically, all the orbitals are what physicist called "standing waves" (so all solutions to Scrodinger equation are also standing waves). So, you can explain orbitals, subenergy levels and energy levels and nodes with standing waves. I will not use this explanation here, though.



I know there are 7 energy level but what about:

Subenergy Levels? How do I know how many subenergy levels in a given energy level?


So a representation of a subenergy looks like: 2p

Orbtials? How many orbitals in a given subenergy level?

Subenergy Level vs # of Orbitals

Subenergy Level # of orbitals
s 1
p 3 (px, py, pz)
d 5 (d, d, d, d, d) see Note 1
f 7 (f, f, f, f, f, f, f) see Note 2

So a representation of an orbital looks likes: 2px

With subenergy levels and orbitals, there is a word commonly used, "degenerate". It means the region (orbitals and/or subenergy levels) are the same distance away from the nucleus. Which also means that electrons in these regions have the same energy as each other.


In summary,

ChemistryWiki | RecentChanges | Preferences
Edit text of this page | View other revisions
Last edited November 2, 2015 2:23 pm (diff)
Search: