S.

MORRIS 2006
Niels Bohr
❖ introduced the
concept of definite
energy levels (orbits)
around the nucleus at
which electrons can be
exactly located
Bohr’s Atom

electrons in orbits

nucleus
 HELIUM ATOM
Shell
proton

+
N
-
+
- N

electron neutron
WERNER KARL HEISENBERG
• developed the “Uncertainty
Principle”
• for a particle as small as the
electron, one cannot know
exactly where it is and at the
same time know its energy or
how it is moving
QUANTUM MECHANICAL
MODEL of the Atom

*Main Energy Levels or

Shells, Sub-levels or
Subshells and Orbitals
• An orbital can be described
by the 4 quantum numbers:
✓ principal quantum number, n
✓ azimuthal quantum number, l
✓ magnetic quantum number, ml
✓ spin quantum number, ms
 1. PRINCIPAL QUANTUM
NUMBER (n)
• refers to the main energy level of an
orbital
• total energy of the electron in an
atom
• can have integral values 1,2,3 and so
forth
 2. AZIMUTHAL QUANTUM
NUMBER (l)

• aka angular momentum number

or subsidiary number
• represents energy sublevels and
the shape of the orbitals
• can have values beginning with
zero and increasing until the
integer n – 1 is reached.
 EXAMPLES:
• if n = 5 then l = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
(the highest value that l can
have is 4 since 5 – 1 = 4
Try it!
n=4 l=?
n=3 l=?
n=1 l=?
 Answers:
n=4 l=?
l = 0, 1, 2, 3

n=3 l=?
l = 0, 1, 2

n=1 l=?
l=0
AZIMUTHAL QUANTUM NUMBER (l)
ORBITAL
l SUBLEVEL SHAPE
Spherical
0 s
Dumbbell-shaped
1 p
4 cloverleaf-shaped;
2 d 1 dumbbell-shaped
with a ring
Too complex to
3 f describe
Shapes of the Orbitals
 3. MAGNETIC QUANTUM
NUMBER, (ml)

• describes the orientation of

the orbital in space
• can have an integral value
from – l to +l including 0
 MAGNETIC QUANTUM
NUMBER (ml)

SUBLEVEL I ml
s 0 0

p 1 -1, 0 or +1

d 2 -2, 0 or +2
• How about if l= 3, what is ml?
• Answer: 0, +3 and -3

• How about if l= 4, what is ml?

• Answer: 0, +4, -4
4. SPIN QUANTUM NUMBER,
(ms)
• an electron behaves as
though it spins about an axis
like a toy top
• there are only 2 orientations
possible: +1/2 and -1/2
+ ½ = clockwise
- ½ = counter clockwise
Rules Governing the Combination
of Quantum Number
1. The quantum numbers n, l and ml are
integers.
2. The (n) cannot be 0. Its lowest value is 1.
3. The (l) can have a value from 0 to n – 1.
The highest value it can have depends on
n.
4. The ms can only be +1/2 or -1/2. No other
values are allowed.
 Self-Check
• Which of the following sets of
quantum numbers is/are possible?
a. n = 4 l=2 ml = 0
b. n = 3 l=3 ml = +1
c. n = 5 l=3 ml = -3
d. n = 3 l=0 ml = +1
 SOLUTIONS:
a. n = 4 l=2 ml = 0

l= 0,1,2,3
ml= 0,+2,-2
Therefore, set a are quantum
numbers.
 SOLUTIONS:
b. n = 3 l=3 ml = +1

l= 0,1,2
ml= 0,+3,-3
Therefore, set b are not a quantum
numbers.
 SOLUTIONS:
c. n = 5 l=3 ml = -3

l= 0,1,2,3,4
ml= 0,+3,-3
Therefore, set c are quantum
numbers.
 SOLUTIONS:
d. n = 3 l=0 ml = +1

l= 0,1,2
ml= 0
Therefore, set d are not quantum
numbers.
 ELECTRON
CONFIGURATION
*describes how the
electrons are distributed
among the orbitals
SUBLEVEL # OF ORBITALS

s 1
p 3
d 5
f 7
g 9
 3 Rules
A.AUFBAU PRINCIPLE
✓ electrons fill the orbitals,
one at a time, starting with
the lowest energy orbital
then proceeding to the one
with higher energy
• Use n + l rule to identify which
orbital has lower energy.
• The lower the (n + l), the
lower is the energy of the
orbital.
• If values (n + l) are equal, the
one with the lower n value has
the lower energy.
For each pair of orbitals below,
choose which has the higher
energy. Show by computation.

a.3s and 3p
b. 3d and 4f
c. 7s and 6p
 3 Rules
B. PAULI EXCLUSION
PRINCIPLE
✓ Only two electrons may
occupy an orbital, and they
must have different spins.
P 87
 3 Rules
C. HUND’S RULE
✓ In filling up orbitals, the
orbitals are occupied by one
electron at a time with the
electrons having the same
spin.
 Write and draw the electron
configurations of each of the
following atoms.
1.He : 2 1s2
2.C : 6 1s22s22p2
1s 22s22p63s23p64s23d7
3.Co : 27
1s 22s22p63s23p64s23d104p4
4.Se : 34