Quantum Mechanics

[NaukowiecGirl]

Hello! I'm Izzy! I'm new to this forum so hello from here!!!

 

I need some help in Quantum Mechanics. I'm struggling to understand the differences and setting of electron shells.

 

What exactly is the difference between Shells, Sub-shells and Orbitals?

 

I know Sub-shells make up a whole shell but where do the orbitals come in?

 

Please help....

[Sensei]

Reading this might help for a start

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_configuration

[studiot]

Lets do shells first.

 

Here is a table of ionisation energies in kJ/mol. (after Stranks et al)

 

 

This is a table of the energy to successively remove electrons from atoms.

 

Look first at Sodium at the right hand end of the table. Sodium has eleven electrons.

 

The first electron is comparatively easy to remove.

 

The second electron takes about 8 times as much energy to remove.

 

The increase for the next seven electrons `is relatively modest.

 

There is again a big jump to remove the last two electrons, but a small difference between them.

 

This pattern is repeated in the other atoms listed, as far as they have electrons.

 

Now if we assume that how tightly bound an electron is (as measured by the energy to remove it) depends upon its distance from the nucleus we can see three distinct groupings of electrons, diminishing with distance.

 

We call these shells and give them a number, n (1,2,3) or a letter (K,L,M)

 

Because we number outwards from the nucleus the K shell = shell 1 corresponds to the closest and highest energy and therefore last two ionisation energies in the table.

 

There are two electrons in this shell, eight in the next and one in the last.

 

If this is helpful we can go on to the connection to orbitals.

 

 

[NaukowiecGirl]

Hello! Thank you so much for your help! I understand this now. And it makes complete sense too. Considering the electromagnetic forces between the electrons and nucleus would be higher the closer they got to the center. Hence, requires greater energy to remove. Thank you!!!!