Question #9f08d

1 Answer
Nov 12, 2017

Here's what I get.

Explanation:

An angular node is a planar or conical surface.

A radial node is a spherical surface surrounding the nucleus.

For a given orbital:

  • #"number of nodes" = n-1#
  • #"number of angular nodes" = l#
  • #"number of radial nodes" = n – l – 1#

For a #4p# orbital

#n = 4; l = 1#

  • #"Number of nodes" = 4-1= 3#
  • #"Number of angular nodes" = 1#
  • #"Number of radial nodes" = 4 – 1 – 1 = 2#

Thus, a #4p# orbital has one angular node and two radial nodes.

4pz
(Adapted from fineartamerica.com)

For example, a #4p_z# orbital has an angular node in the #xy# plane, with a small spherical node close to the nucleus and a larger one further out.

For a #5f# orbital

#n = 5; l = 3#

  • #"Number of nodes" = 5-1= 4#
  • #"Number of angular nodes" = 3#
  • #"Number of radial nodes" = 5 – 3 – 1 = 1#

A #5f# orbital has three angular nodes and one radial node.

5f

Above is a picture of one of the #"5f"# orbitals.

You can see a radial node and three planar nodes perpendicular to the screen.