1.4 - Orbital filling diagrams Flashcards
What does the word “degenerate” mean in context of atomic orbitals?
The word “degenerate” refers something of the same energy level.
Example: if we had 3 orbitals at the same energy level, they would be considered ‘degenerate’.
What is the difference between a shell, subshell, and an orbital?
Shell: A shell, represented by the ‘n’ value, depicts the energy level that the subshells and orbitals are in. ‘n’ can be 1, 2, 3, 4, etc…
Subshell: A subshell, represented by ‘l’, depicts the shape/areas which electrons will probably be. ‘l’ can be 0, 1, 2, 3 or s, p, d, f.
Oribtal: An orbital, represented by ‘m_l’ depicts the geometric orientations in a subshell. If ‘m_l = 1’ or the ‘p’ orbital, p_x, p_y and p_z would be the possible geometric orientations of each orbital. The “x, y, z” describing the plane of the orbital.
How do you find the total number of orbitals in a shell using the ‘n’ value?
‘n^2 = total number of orbitals in that energy level’.
Example: if we had ‘n = 3’, the number of orbitals would be 3^2 = 9.
How do you find the total number of electrons (e-) in a shell using the ‘n’ value?
‘n^2 * 2 = total number of electrons (e-) in that energy level’.
Example: if we had ‘n = 4’, the number of electrons (e-) would be 4^2 * 2 = 32.
What is the behavior of electrons (e-) as they fill in orbitals?
Aufbau’s Principle: Electrons will always occupy the lowest available energy level first.
Example: 1s^2, 2s^2, 2p^6, 3s^2, 3p^6, etc…
Hund’s Rule: Due to electron-electron repulsion, electrons (e-) will fill orbitals of the same energy singly before pairing up.
Example: When viewing an orbital box diagram, electrons (e-) will not fill in the same orbital if there is more than 1 orbital. The electrons will disperse throughout the orbitals before pairing up together.
Pauli Exclusion Principle: No two electrons in an atom will have the same set of 4 quantum numbers.
Example: This predicts that electrons will never have the same spin in the same orbital.
