Guest

Why we call s,p,d,f orbitals as s,p,d,f respectively why not other letters or by names

Why we call s,p,d,f orbitals as s,p,d,f respectively why not other letters or by names


 

Grade:12th Pass

2 Answers

Godfrey Classic Prince
633 Points
12 years ago

Dear vishnu sn,

The orbital names s, p, d, and f stand for names given to groups of lines in the spectra of the alkali metals. These line groups are called sharp, principal, diffuse, and fundamental.

The orbital letters are associated with the angular momentum quantum number, which is assigned an integer value from 0 to 3. s correlates to 0, p = 1, d = 2, and f = 3.The angular momentum quantum number can be used to give the shapes of the electronic orbitals. s orbitals are spherical; p orbitals are polar. It may be simpler to think of these two letters in terms of orbital shapes (d and f aren't described as readily).

These are the shapes of the first five atomic orbitals, 1s, 2s, 2px, 2py, and 2pz.

These are the shapes of the first five atomic orbitals, 1s, 2s, 2px, 2py, and 2pz. The colors indicate the wavefunction phase.

The electron configuration of an atom denotes the distribution of electrons among available shells. The standard notation lists the subshell symbols, one after another. The number of electrons contained in each subshell is stated explicitly. For example, the electron configuration of beryllium, with an atomic (and electron) number of 4, is 1s22s2 or [He]2s2.

 

All the Best & Good Luck !!

Hope thishelped you immensely...

Please approve my answer if you liked it by clicking on "Yes" given below...!!Smile

sanjay vyas
39 Points
12 years ago

sharp,principle,diffuse,fundemental are the words used for describing orbitals and the first letters r taken in it.s,p,d,f

Think You Can Provide A Better Answer ?

ASK QUESTION

Get your questions answered by the expert for free