The Shroedinger wave equation describes the atom mathematically. It shows the probability of finding an electron in a given volume. This area in space is called an atomic orbital. An atomic orbital is a function describing the location and wave-like behaviour of an electron in an atom.This function describes the electron's charge distribution around the atom's nucleus, and can be used to calculate the probability of finding an electron in a specific region around the nucleus. Each orbital in an atom is characterised by a set of values which correspond to the electron's energy and angular momentum.
Quantum Mechanics
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Specification: AQA Chemistry (7404), AS-level, 3.1.1.1 Fundamental particles and 3.1.1.2 Mass number and isotopes. Topic: Atomic Structure.
Key terms in this lesson
- Atomic orbital
- A region in space around the nucleus where there is a 95% probability of finding an electron of a given energy.
More in Atomic Structure
- Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer
- Mass Spectra of Elements
- Low Resolution Mass Spectrometry
- Mass Spectrometer in Space
- Energy Levels
- Atomic Orbitals
- Order of filling orbitals
- Electron Configuration
All 22 lessons in Atomic Structure · All AQA AS-level Chemistry topics