Orbital and Wavefunction Clarification
Moderators: Chem_Mod, Chem_Admin
-
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:15 am
Orbital and Wavefunction Clarification
I'm having trouble conceptually visualizing what an orbital is and how it relates to the wavefunction. Can someone help explain what exactly an orbital is, and how it relates to Schrodinger's wave function equation? To what extent do we need to know the wave function equation on upcoming exams?
-
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 12:18 am
Re: Orbital and Wavefunction Clarification
We don't need to know how to use Schrodinger's equation for the exam. As for the orbitals, they show the likelihood that an electron would be present at a certain spot around the nucleus. So for a p-orbital, there is a low chance that there will be an electron near the nucleus but a higher chance the further out you go. The more nodes there are around the atom, the more energy levels that atom has.
Re: Orbital and Wavefunction Clarification
We don't need to know too much about Schrodinger's Wave Equation, hence why in the syllabus we skip Focus 1D, which talks about this equation.
Return to “Wave Functions and s-, p-, d-, f- Orbitals”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests