1.3 electrons, energy levels and atomic orbitals

Define shell

Energy level where electrons reside, representing regions of space at different distances from the nucleus

Define sub shell

Regions of the principle quantum shells where electrons exist in defined areas associated with particular amounts of energy.

Define orbital

Region around the nucleus where there is a high probability of finding an electron

Define principal quantum number

Number assigned to each energy level

Define ground state

The most stable, lowest energy configuration of an atom or molecule, where all electrons occur lowest possible energy levels/orbitals.

How many orbitals does the s sub shell have?

How many electrons does it hold?

1

2

How many orbitals does the p sub shell have?

How many electrons can it hold?

3

6

How many orbitals does the d sub shell have?

How many electrons can it hold?

5

10

Describe the order of increasing energy of sub shells

1s,2s,2p,3s,3p,4s,3d,4p,5s

How do electrons fill the orbitals?

They fill lower energy levels first and spread out in degenerate orbitals before pairing up with opposite spins to reduce electron-electron repulsion

Draw the shape of an s orbital

Draw the shape of a p orbital

Define free radical

Species with one or more unpaired electrons