BRAINCAKEAtomic Orbitals
An electron is considered to be a cloud of negative charge that fills a volume in space called an atomic orbital.
Each orbital has a different energy level and a different shape that represents a region in space where there is a 95% probability of finding an electron.
Electrons are arranged within shells around the nucleus. The shells are regarded as energy levels. Each energy level has a principal quantum number n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 with the shell n = 1 with the lowest energy and closest to the nucleus.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Principal quantum number
- The number (n = 1, 2, 3...) given to an electron shell, indicating its energy level and distance from the nucleus.
More in Atomic Structure
- Low Resolution Mass Spectrometry
- Mass Spectrometer in Space
- Quantum Mechanics
- Energy Levels
- Order of filling orbitals
- Electron Configuration
- First Ionisation Energy
- Successive Ionisation Energies
All 22 lessons in Atomic Structure · All AQA AS-level Chemistry topics