The main energy levels, also called shells, are given by the main quantum number n. The now outdated solar system model of the atom allows us to visualize the meaning of the potential energy levels. The probability distributions are given by the secondary quantum number l and by the magnetic quantum number m l. The potential energy levels are described by the main quantum number n and by the secondary quantum number l. This arrangement is not given in terms of exact positions, like the photograph of a street, but rather in terms of probability distributions and potential energy levels, much like the mosquito swarm. The quantum numbers provide us with a picture of the electronic arrangement in the atom relative to the nucleus. An alternative picture of the swarm can be obtained by describing the area where the mosquitoes tend to be concentrated and the factors that determine their preference for certain locations, and that’s the best we can do. The uncertainty about their position persists even in the photograph. Electrons are more like fast-moving mosquitoes in a swarm that cannot be photographed without appearing blurred. Therefore, it is impossible to obtain a photographic picture of the atom like we could of a busy street. The exact position of the electron at any given time cannot be known. The allowed values for the spin quantum number m s are +1/2 and -1/2.Īccording to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, it is impossible to know the electron’s velocity and its position simultaneously. When this happens, the electrons are said to be paired. Only two electrons can occupy the same orbital, and they must have opposite spins. SPIN QUANTUM NUMBER ( m S) - Represents the two possible orientations that an electron can have in the presence of a magnetic field, or in relation to another electron occupying the same orbital. Since the type of orbital is determined by l, the value of m l ranges between -l and +l such that m l= -l. MAGNETIC QUANTUM NUMBER ( m l) - Represents the number of possible orientations in 3-D space for each type of orbital. This number is sometimes also called azimuthal, or subsidiary.ģ. The value of l depends on the value of n such that l = 0, 1. SECONDARY QUANTUM NUMBER ( l ) - Represents the energy sublevel, or type of orbital, occupied by the electron. It is always a positive integer, that is n = 1, 2, 3. PRINCIPAL QUANTUM NUMBER ( n) - Represents the main energy level, or shell, occupied by an electron. The quantum numbers are parameters that describe the distribution of electrons in the atom, and therefore its fundamental nature. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POTENTIAL ENERGY AND STABILITY IS INVERSE.
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