CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

When saying two electrons spin in opposite directions, what is that really saying?

Not sure, but I think for this class we just have to know that for two electrons to bond they have to spin in opposite directions.

electrons behave like spinning spheres, almost like how a planet is rotating on its axis (textbook page 41). so if an electron is spin up it is spinning counterclockwise at a certain rate and if an electron is spin down it is spinning clockwise at the same rate.

Electrons have an intrinsic angular momentum known as electron spin. There's two spin states, up (spinning counterclockwise) and down (clockwise), both of which are at the same rate. The Pauli exclusion principle states that these particles cannot have the same quantum numbers. The only way to occupy the same orbital or have the same orbital quantum numbers, is to have different spin quantum numbers.

Electron spin is the way that the electron spins within the magnetic field.

What is characteristic of electrons that are parallel?

This site was helped me understand the concept:
https://chem.libretexts.org/Core/Physic ... ctron_Spin

Electrons with parallel spin both spin in the same direction however the will occupy different orbitals because no two electrons in the same atom can have the same 4 quantum numbers.

Professor Lavelle said in class that when electrons can, they will spread out to occupy different orbitals, and that when this happens they have the same spin. Why is it possible for 2 e- that are parallel to have the same spin if 2e- that are paired must have opposite spins?

From my understanding, the two parallel electrons can have the same spin because they occupy different orbitals, but if they are paired they are in the same orbital. So if they are in the same orbital, they must have opposite spins. I'm not really sure how this would work on the molecular level, though.