• If you attend a college or professional

football game, you need a ticket to

get in. It is very likely that your ticket
may specify a gate number, section
number, row, and seat number. No
other ticket can have the same four
parts to it. It may even have the same
gate, section, and row, but it would
still have to include a different seat
number. Each seat is unique and
allows only one occupant to fill it.
Quantum Numbers
and Atomic
Orbitals
Three quantum numbers are required to describe the distribution of
electrons in hydrogen and other atoms. They are called the
principal quantum number, angular momentum number, and
magnetic quantum number. These quantum numbers will be used
to describe atomic orbitals and to label electrons that reside in
them. A fourth quantum number – the spin quantum number
describes the behavior of a specific electron and completes the
description of electrons in atoms.

This restriction allows us to index the electrons in an atom, giving

their quantum numbers and thereby defining the region in space
where each electron is most likely to be found.
Learning Objectives:
1. Use quantum numbers to describe an electron in
an atom.
2. Interpret the information obtained from a set of
four quantum numbers
3. Assign the correct set of quantum numbers for an
electron
Keywords
• Electrons – are negatively charged subatomic
particles
• Atomic orbital - is a region of probability where
electrons can be found
• Shell – the outside part of an atom around the
nucleus
• Subshell – a grouping of electrons in a shell
according to the shape of the region of space they
occupy
In 1913, Neils Bohr
proposed his quantized
shell model of the atom to
explain how electrons can
have stable orbits around
the nucleus. The Bohr
atomic model firmly
establishes the concept of
energy levels but fails to
account for the details of
atomic structure.
 Quantum Theory of Atom
• Quantum theory is the theoretical basis of modern physics
that explains the nature and behavior of matter and energy
on the atomic and subatomic level.
• The quantum mechanical model of atom is based on
quantum theory, which says matter also has properties
associated with waves. According to quantum theory, it’s
impossible to know the exact position and momentum of
an electron at the same time.
• To describe orbitals accurately, scientists use quantum
numbers. Quantum numbers specify the properties of
atomic orbitals and the properties of electrons in orbitals.
Principal Quantum Number (n)
• It determines the energy of an orbital and the orbital
size.
• The principal quantum number (n) can have integral values
of 1, 2, 3, and so forth.
• As n increases, the orbital becomes larger, and the electron
is farther from the nucleus.
• An increase in n also means that the electron has a higher
energy and is therefore less tightly bound to the nucleus.
Angular Momentum Quantum Number ( )
• It describes the sub-energy level, subshell, or the shape of the
orbitals.
• The values of depend on the value of the principal quantum
number and are generally designated by the letters s, p, d, f,
corresponding to values of 0, 1, 2, and 3. For a given value
of n, has possible integral values from 0 to (n-1).

Value of 0 1 2 3

Letter used s-orbital p-orbital d-orbital f-orbital

Atomic orbital is a region of probability where electrons can be found. There are
four orbitals: s, p, d, f.
Here is an illustration showing the different atomic orbitals-s,p,d,f-
which stands for sharp, principal, diffuse, and fundamental,
respectively. So, for example, if the value of l is 0, then the electron
can most likely be found in the s orbital.

Strictly speaking, an orbital does not have a definite shape because

the wave function extends to infinity. However, while the electron
can be found anywhere, there are regions where the probability of
finding it is much higher. Figure (a) shows the electron density
distribution of a 1s electron around the nucleus. Note that it does
not have a well-defined boundary; the more dots, the darker the
shade, the higher the probability of finding the electron in that
region. Also note that the probability distribution is spherical.
Comparison of the 1s, 2s, and 3s orbitals. (a) Electron-density distribution
of a 1s orbital. (b) Contour representations of the 1s, 2s, and 3s orbitals.
Each sphere is centered on the atom’s nucleus and encloses the volume in
which there is a 90% probability of finding the electron.
Source: https://chem.libretexts.org/@api/deki/files/71120/P_1.gif?revision=1l
These are three dimensional models of the p orbitals. What do you
notice about their shape?

The p orbitals starts when n =2 for which ℓ has a value of 1 and mℓ

has values -1, 0, +1. Therefore, there are three 2p orbitals: 2px, 2py,
2pz indicating the axes along which they are oriented. Each p
orbitals has a teardrop shape, or in some books, a dumbbell shape.

Like s orbitals, p orbitals increase in size as we

move from 2p to 3p to 4p, and so forth.
Source: https://chem.libretexts.org/@api/deki/files/71154/195px-D_1.gif?revision=1
These are three dimensional models of the d orbitals. What do you
notice about their shape?

These 3D GIFs show the d orbitals occur for the first time when n =
3. Four of the orbitals have the same basic shapes except for the
orientation with respect to the axes. The fifth wave function, dx2 ,
has a similar shape with that of the p-orbital with a donut-shape
region along the x-axis.
Exercise

Give the n and l values for the following orbitals

1. 1s
2. 3p
3. 5f
4. 4d
Exercise

Give the n and l values for the following orbitals

1. 1s – n = 1; l = 0
2. 3p – n = 3; l = 1
3. 5f – n = 5; l = 3
4. 4d – n = 4; l = 2
Magnetic Momentum Quantum Number (𝑚𝑙 )
• It describes the orientation of the orbitals in space
• It can have integral values between – to + , including
zero
Exercise

List the values of n, l, and 𝑚𝑙 values for orbitals in the 4d subshell.

Exercise

List the values of n, l, and 𝑚𝑙 values for orbitals in the 4d subshell.

Strategy What are the relationships among n, l, and 𝑚𝑙 ? What do “4”

and “d” represent in 4d?

Solution n = 4; Because we are dealing with d orbitals, l = 2. The

values of 𝑚𝑙 may vary from –l to l. Therefore, 𝑚𝑙 can be -2, -1, 0, 1, or 2.
The collection of orbitals with the same value of n is
called an electron shell. All the orbitals that have n = 3,
for example, are said to be in the third shell. The set of
orbitals that have the same n and l values is called a
subshell. Each subshell is designated by a number (the
value of n) and a letter (s, p, d, or f, corresponding to the
value of l ). For example, the orbitals that have n = 3 and
l = 2 are called 3d orbitals and are in the 3d subshell.
1. The shell with principal quantum number n consists of exactly n
subshells.
2. Each subshell consists of a specific number of orbitals. Each orbital
corresponds to a different allowed value of ml. For a given value of l,
there are (2l + 1) allowed values of ml.
3. The total number of orbitals in a shell is n2, where n is the principal
quantum number of the shell.
4. The total number of electrons in a shell is 2n2.
5. An orbital can only hold a maximum of two electrons.
Spin Quantum Number (𝑚𝑠 )
• It is the magnetic behavior of the electron. For two electrons to
occupy the same orbital, they must have opposite spins.
• Two possible values are allowed for 𝑚𝑠 , +1/2 or -1/2. The +1/2
values indicates clockwise spin represented by an arrow pointing
upwards and the -1/2 indicates counterclockwise spin represented
by an arrow pointing downwards
Spin Quantum Number (𝑚𝑠 )
• Electron spin. The electron behaves as if it were
spinning about an axis, thereby generating a magnetic
field whose direction depends on the direction of spin.
The two directions for the magnetic field correspond to
the two possible values for the spin quantum number,
ms.
Remember:
• A complete set of quantum numbers must be written as
( n, ℓ, mℓ, ms )
• NO two electrons in an atom can have the same 4
quantum numbers
• Each electron has a unique “address”
Example:
• Determine the possible values of n, ℓ, mℓ, ms for the first
electron in an atom and write the possible sets of
quantum numbers.

n ℓ 𝑚𝑙 𝑚𝑠
1 0 0 +1/2, -1/2
• Therefore, the possible sets of quantum number are: (1,
0, 0, -½) and (1, 0, 0, +½).
Exercise:
Which of the following is a valid set of quantum numbers?
a. n = 2, l = 2, 𝑚𝑙 = 0, and 𝑚𝑠 = -1/2
b. n = 2, l = 1, 𝑚𝑙 = -1, and 𝑚𝑠 = -1/2
c. n = 3, l = 0, 𝑚𝑙 = 0, and 𝑚𝑠 = 1
d. n = 3, l = 2, 𝑚𝑙 = 3, and 𝑚𝑠 = -1/2
Exercise:
1. l = 2 is not allowed, since l is equal to n-1. Maximum is 1
2. Possible, because the l is 2-1, which is equal to 1, ml is
from –l to l, which should have the ranges of -1, 0, and 1,
and its ms is -1/2, which is a valid spin magnetic quantum
number.
3. Not valid because the ms should only be -1/2 and +1/2.
4. ml should only have the ranges of –l to l. So, if your l = 2,
then your ml should have the values of 2, 1, 0, -1, and -2.
Exercise:
Write the set of quantum numbers for the following:
a. It is an up-spin 4d electron with an orbital orientation of 0.
b. The electron is in the 3rd energy level, 𝑝𝑥 -orbital, and
down-spin.
c. When n = 2, I is 1, 𝑚𝑙 = 1, and 𝑚𝑠 = 1/2
Exercise:
a. (4, 2, 0, ½)
b. (3, 1, -1, -½)
c. (2, 1, 1, ½)