Assigning Orbitals to Elements

[Ashley Osorio]

How can we figure out which orbital corresponds to each element? Taking Sulfur, for example, which p orbital (px,py,pz) does it hold and how can we figure it out?

[AKhanna_3H]

My TA said that you do not need to know how to do this. I believe he said there is no way to figure it out just from reading a problem, but he definitely said we would not have to do this on a midterm/test. Hope that helps!

[Joowon Seo 3A]

You just have to know that an electron must be in each orbital before there are any paired electrons.

[Gabriella Bates 2L]

It doesn’t matter if an electron is in the px, py, or pz orbital, but you must follow Hunds rule and ensure that each orbital is filled before electrons are paired.

[philipraj_1F]

I think it is not important to know which specific orbital it is, but that the electron distribution among orbitals is correct.