Question

How many sublevels are in the second principal energy level for the hydrogen atom?

Answer 1

The second principal energy level of a hydrogen atom consists of two sublevels: 2s and 2p, which comprise of one and three orbitals respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

The second principal energy level for the hydrogen atom contains two sublevels: the 2s and 2p. The n = 2 level can have sublevels with l values of 0 (2s) and 1 (2p). Therefore, there are two sublevels in the second principal energy level of a hydrogen atom. The 2s sublevel has one orbital, and the 2p sublevel consists of three orbitals, which are degenerate (having the same energy). The Aufbau principle and quantum mechanics help to understand this configuration, where electrons occupy orbitals from the lowest energy level to the highest.

Answer 2

Thus, the fourth level can hold up to 32 electrons: 2 in the s orbital, 6 in the three p orbitals, 10 in the five d orbitals, and 14 in the seven f orbitals. The sublevels of the first four principal energy levels and the maximum number of electrons that the sublevels can contain are summarized in Table 5.1.