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Chapter 7: Problem 47

What is an atomic orbital? How does an atomic orbital differ from an orbit?

Short Answer

Expert verified
An atomic orbital is a region in an atom where there is a high probability to find an electron, while an orbit is a distinct path that an electron supposedly follows around the nucleus. The main difference lies in the certainty of an electron's location in an atom: an orbital represents a sense of uncertainty in the electron's location while the concept of an orbit assumes a certain path for the electron.

Step by step solution

01

Define Atomic Orbital

An atomic orbital is a mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of an electron in an atom. This function can be used to calculate the probability of finding any electron of an atom in any specific region around the atom's nucleus. Unlike orbits, these orbitals do not depict a definite path a particle follows but instead provide the probable locations an electron is likely to be found.
02

Define Orbit

An 'orbit' in an atom refer to the concept that electrons move in well-defined, specific paths around the nucleus, much like planets orbit around the Sun. This terminology emanates from the earlier 'Bohr Model' of the atom.
03

Compare Atomic Orbital and Orbit

The main difference between an orbital and an orbit lies in the concept of electron behavior and location. An atomic orbital reflects the modern quantum view that electrons behave as waves and exist in a cloud-like region within the atom, whereas the concept of an orbit is rooted in an older model of atomic structure, which presumes that electrons circle the nucleus in well-defined paths.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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