Orbitals
The five orbitals of the d sublevel
1. Orbitals: from zero
2. Why five?
Ch.1 fills 'the five orbitals of 3d' one electron at a time. Why five, and what is an orbital?
A d sublevel holds up to 10 electrons. One orbital holds at most 2. Predict:
Pick the right answer
How many orbitals does the d sublevel have?
- A. 5
- B. 10
- C. 2
Explanation
The d sublevel holds up to 10 electrons, and one orbital holds at most 2. So d has 10 ÷ 2 = 5 orbitals.
3. An orbital is a region, not a path
Orbital
The region of space around the nucleus in which the electron is most likely to be found.
4. Orbitals in each sublevel
Each box is one orbital. Each orbital holds at most 2 electrons.
↑↓
s↑↓↑↓↑↓
p↑↓↑↓↑↓↑↓↑↓
dgatheredmaximum electrons in a sublevel\\ = 2 × number of orbitalsgathered
5. Count the orbitals
Pick the right answer
The f sublevel holds up to 14 electrons. How many orbitals does it have?
- A. 7
- B. 14
- C. 4
- D. 28
Explanation
The f sublevel holds up to 14 electrons, 2 per orbital, so it has 14 ÷ 2 = 7 orbitals.
True or false?
An orbital is the circular path an electron follows around the nucleus.
Explanation
Orbital = the region of space around the nucleus where the electron is most likely to be found.
6. Summary
- An orbital is a region where the electron is most likely to be found, not a path.
- Orbitals: s 1, p 3, d 5, f 7.
- At most 2 electrons per orbital, so d holds 5 × 2 = 10.
Can you explain why the 3d sublevel can hold 10 electrons?
Reveal
↑↓↑↓↑↓↑↓↑↓
3dThe 3d sublevel has 5 orbitals, and each orbital holds at most 2 electrons: 5 × 2 = 10.