Use the relative size of the 3s orbital below to answer the following questions about orbitals A–D. (a) Which orbital has the highest value of n? (b) Which orbital(s) have a value of l = 1? l = 2? (c) How many other orbitals with the same value of n have the same shape as orbital B? Orbital C? (d) Which orbital has the highest energy? Lowest energy?

a) Option D

b) A and C, I = 1

B and D, I = 2

c) There are three orbitals that have the same value of n and the form as option B. there are 5 orbitals d for the values of n. Four have the same shape as option B, the fifth has the same shape as the D orbital. On the other hand, there are two orbitals with the same shape as C. Each p orbitals has the same shape. Therefore, there are two orbitals with the same value of n and the same shape as the option C orbital.

d) highest energy: D

lowest energy: C

Explanation:

a) If the value of n increases, the size of the orbital would increase, and since option D is the largest, this means that it has the highest value of n.

b) Quantum number means the number of nodes in each orbital. Since A and C are p-type orbitals, they only have a single node, therefore I = 1. Regarding B and D, they are both d orbital orbitals, and the quantum number for this type of orbital is 2, therefore I = 2

d) The energy level is directly proportional to the value n. As n increases, the energy level increases, therefore, D has the highest energy because it has the largest number of n, and C has the lowest energy because the value of n is small.

b is the correct

it is the most commonly accepted one