Nodes

[Amy Shimizu 1J]

Hi, can someone clarify how to find how many nodes an orbital has and also the type of node it has as well?

[KatieWu 1E]

Total nodes is n-1. Angular nodes, l, depends on the orbital, so l=0 for s-orbitals, l=1 for p-orbital, l=2 for d-orbital, and l=3 for f-orbital. To find the # of radial nodes, the formula is total nodes-angular nodes

[Alyssa H]

An easy way to determine the number of nodes is n-1. The 1s orbital has 0 nodes, 2s and 2p orbitals have 1 node, 3s, 3p, and 3d orbitals have 2 nodes, and so on.

[Emily Chen 1G]

Total nodes = n-1
Radial nodes = (n-l-1)
Angular nodes = (l)
Radial nodes are spherical, like that found in the 2s orbital. Angular nodes are planar (I think of them as rectangular-like, cutting through the atom in the plane where no electrons can be found). An example of an angular node can be found in the 2p orbital.

[Nick Oscarson 1K]

Total nodes = n - 1
Angular nodes:
s --> 0
p --> 1
d --> 2
f --> 3
Radial nodes = Total nodes - Angular nodes

Example: 4s2
Total nodes = 4 - 1 = 3
Angular nodes = 0 (s --> 0)
Radial nodes = 3 - 0 = 3

This video was super helpful! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk6g0lfSVZI