Px,y,z

[Laila Alkhouri 3H]

What does the professor mean when he refers to Px, y, and z. I am confused on what he is talking about. Does it refer to the l number associated with p orbitals? Or does it mean something else.

[Kristy Sun 3L]

Hello!

When Dr. Lavelle mentions Px, Py, and Pz, he is referring to the three different types of p-orbitals that are each respectively oriented along the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. Each of Px, Py, and Pz can hold 2 electrons maximum. When you combine the amount of electrons Px, Py, and Pz can hold, it totals up to 6 electrons, which is the maximum amount of electrons that p-orbitals can hold.

Hope that helps!