Lecture 8 - Shapes of p and d Orbitals

Flashcards covering key concepts related to the shapes and properties of p and d orbitals.

Angular momentum quantum number (l)

Describes the angular momentum of an electron in an orbital; can take values from 0 to n-1.

Magnetic quantum number (m or ml)

Describes the orientation of orbitals; can take integer values from -l to +l.

Degenerate states

Quantum states with equal energy, such as the 2px, 2py, and 2pz orbitals.

Principal quantum number (n)

Indicates the energy level and size of the orbital; determines the value of l.

s orbital

Spherically symmetric orbitals with an angular momentum quantum number l=0.

p orbitals

Orbitals with an angular momentum quantum number l=1; there are three orientations (px, py, pz).

d orbitals

Orbitals with an angular momentum quantum number l=2; can have up to five orientations.

Nodes in orbitals

Areas in an orbital where the probability of finding an electron is zero; can be spherical or planar.

3d orbitals

Have five orientations and typically contain two planar nodes and no spherical nodes.

Number of orbitals formula

The number of orbitals for a given l is given by the formula 2l + 1.