Quantum Numbers
The maximum number of electrons that can have the quantum numbers n = 4 and mₛ = +½ is:
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- atomic structure
- Topic
- quantum numbers
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
16
For n = 4, the total number of orbitals is n² = 16 (comprising 4s: 1, 4p: 3, 4d: 5, 4f: 7 orbitals). Each orbital can accommodate 2 electrons with opposite spins. The condition mₛ = +½ restricts us to only one electron per orbital (the one with spin-up). Therefore, the maximum number of electrons with n = 4 and mₛ = +½ equals the total number of orbitals in the fourth shell, which is 16. This is exactly half of the maximum capacity of the shell (2n² = 32), since we are selecting only one spin orientation.
This hard difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter atomic structure, covering the topic of quantum numbers. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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