Noble planes

[Ghadir Seder 1G]

What does it mean for something to have a noble plane and why do the p and d orbitals have it?

[Hannah Lee 2F]

What does it mean for something to have a noble plane and why do the p and d orbitals have it?

Nodal planes are essentially areas with zero probability of electron density (in other words, the probability of finding an electron is 0). Nodal planes are present between the lobes of the p and d orbitals. This makes the p and d-orbitals have a non-symmetric electron density distribution, which in turn influences the electrostatic interactions between the nucleus and the electrons.

The presence of the nodal planes and the overall orbital "shapes" were found based on wave functions that matched experimental observations, although we don't have to worry about using the Schrodinger equation to calculate the probability of finding a particle in a specific position in this class.