Give the numbers for ml for an s orbital.
a) +1, +2, +3
b) +1
c) 0
d) -2 -1, 0, +1, +2
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is c) 0.
In atomic orbitals, the magnetic quantum number (ml) determines the orientation of the orbital within a given subshell. The ml value depends on the orbital type (s, p, d, f, etc.) and is related to the angular momentum quantum number (l). For an s orbital, the angular momentum quantum number l is equal to 0.
The magnetic quantum number ml can take integer values from -l to +l, including zero. Since for an s orbital l = 0, the only possible value for ml is 0. Therefore, the ml for an s orbital is always 0, and there are no other possible values.
For comparison:
- p orbitals have l = 1, so ml can be -1, 0, or +1.
- d orbitals have l = 2, so ml can range from -2 to +2 (i.e., -2, -1, 0, +1, +2).
- f orbitals have l = 3, so ml can range from -3 to +3 (i.e., -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3).
Therefore, for s orbitals, the ml value is restricted to 0, which aligns with option c.