Px. Py, Pz

[Nikitha_lakshminarayanan3I]

I didn't understand what professor Lavelle meant by Px, Py, and Pz during lecture. Can someone explain how to assign each of these?

[Louis Zhao 4C]

The Px, Py, Pz variables represent the 3 different electron cloud configurations in the p orbital of an atom. In relation Schrodinger's Wave Function, they are determined by the Ml value which range from -1 to 1. A -1 Ml value equals Px, 0 equals to Py, and 1 equals to Pz. i.e. the example Dr. Lavelle gave to us in class where n=2, l=1, Ml= -1, the electron being described by the wave function would appear in the Px orbital.

[ryanhon2H]

Is there a specific order for values to be assigned to Px, Py, Pz? In lecture I remember he said it was arbitrary and that it didn't matter? I'm a little confused on that.

[Niveda_B_3I]

Hi Nikitha xD
Basically there's 3 p orbitals, px py and pz. The x,y, and z simply tell you the orientation of the orbitals. However, it doesn't really matter in terms of when you're doing electron configuration or anything like that.

[MaggieMatern_Dis1H]

In lecture we were determining electron configurations, and I believe he used carbon as an example. The configuration is 1s2 2s2 2px1 2py1. However, this can be written in a less specific form, which is 1s2 2s2 2p2. In this second form, it shows that there are 2 electrons in the 2p orbital, but does not specify where. The more specific form shows that there is 1 electron in the 2px orbital and another one parallel to it in the 2py orbital, as follows with Hund's Rule.

[Ricardo Martin 1J]

I understand that Px Py Pz tell you something about the orientation of the orbital, however, what about the orientation does it tell you about, most specifically what does Pz tell you?

[marinhaluza_1]

The x, y, and z can be represented as an axis on a graph, so saying an electron is in the Pz orbital basically tells the orientation on a three-dimensional graph. So Pz is basically telling you the electron is in the z-plane on a graph. At least that is how I view it conceptually.