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The Quantum View of the Atom

Vocabulary:

  1. Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
  2. probability wave
  3. orbital (subshell)
  4. shell (energy level)
  5. s, p, d, and f

“The Great Wave off Kanagawa”,

Katsushika Hokusai, 1829

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What was wrong with Bohr’s model?

  • Only worked for hydrogen
  • Violated Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle

Where’s the love?

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Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

  • You can not know both the position and the energy of an electron simultaneously.

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Schrodinger and Probability

  • Erwin Schrodinger solved the problem by developing “probability waves” using his wave equation.
  • Probability wave: given an electron’s energy, Schrodinger’s wave equations identify the probable location of that electron.

I hope no one asks me to explain that!

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Probability Waves

  • We represent probability waves as graphs of the probable location of an electron in its ground state around the nucleus of an atom.
  • These graphs are called orbitals or subshells.
  • Orbitals (subshells) exist on energy levels called shells and have various shapes.

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Types of orbitals

  • The “s” orbital (one type)

s can orbitals exist on:

n = 1

n=2

n=3

n=4

n=5

n=6

n=7

s orbitals on higher energy levels are larger

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Types of orbitals

  • The “s” orbital radial probability distribution:

1s orbital

2s orbital

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Types of orbitals

  • The “p” orbitals (three types)

p orbitals can exist on:

n = 2

n = 3

n = 4

n = 5

n = 6

n = 7

p orbitals on higher energy levels are larger

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Types of orbitals

  • The “p” orbitals (three types)

all three p orbitals exist simultaneously

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Types of orbitals

  • The “p” orbitals radial probability distribution:

2p orbital

3p orbital

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Types of orbitals

  • The “d” orbitals (five types)

d orbitals can exist on:

n = 3

n = 4

n = 5

n = 6

n = 7

d orbitals on higher energy levels are larger

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Types of orbitals

  • The “d” orbitals (all together)

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Types of orbitals

  • The “f” orbitals (7 types)

d orbitals can exist on:

n = 4

n = 5

n = 6

n = 7

f orbitals on higher energy levels are larger

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So….

  • All of these orbitals exist simultaneously.

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This is why you learned my model first!

But it was wrong!!