If an electron has the quantum numbers n=3, l=1, m_l=0, what type of orbital doe
Practice Questions
Q1
If an electron has the quantum numbers n=3, l=1, m_l=0, what type of orbital does it occupy?
s
p
d
f
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If an electron has the quantum numbers n=3, l=1, m_l=0, what type of orbital does it occupy?
Step 1: Identify the quantum number 'l'. In this case, l = 1.
Step 2: Understand what the value of 'l' represents. The value of 'l' indicates the type of orbital: 0 = s, 1 = p, 2 = d, 3 = f.
Step 3: Since l = 1, this means the electron occupies a p orbital.
Step 4: Confirm that the other quantum numbers (n and m_l) do not change the type of orbital. Here, n = 3 and m_l = 0 are consistent with a p orbital.
Quantum Numbers – Quantum numbers describe the properties of atomic orbitals and the electrons in those orbitals. The principal quantum number (n) indicates the energy level, the azimuthal quantum number (l) indicates the shape of the orbital, and the magnetic quantum number (m_l) indicates the orientation of the orbital.
Orbital Types – Different values of the azimuthal quantum number (l) correspond to different types of orbitals: l=0 for s orbitals, l=1 for p orbitals, l=2 for d orbitals, and l=3 for f orbitals.
