Question

How many atomic orbitals are there in the 4p sublevel?

Answer 1

Each energy level has 3 p-orbitals, each with its specific orientation along one of the three axes, x, y, and z.

The second energy level can only hold s and p-orbitals, the third energy level can hold s, p, and d-orbitals, and the fourth energy level, which includes the 4p sublevel, can hold s, p, d, and f-orbitals.

So, no matter if you're dealing with the second energy level or the fourth energy level, you will only get 3 p-orbitals per level.

Thus, the fourth energy level has 3 p-orbitals: `4p_x`, oriented along the `x` axis, `4p_y`, oriented along the `y` axis, and `4p_z`, oriented along the `z` axis.

Here's a video showing how the s, p, and d-orbitals come together in an atom