Question

Each subshell has a specific number of atomic orbitals. If an h subshell were to be discovered following the f and g subshells, how many orbitals will it have?

a) 20 orbitals
b) 10 orbitals
c) 15 orbitals
d) 11 orbitals

Answer 1

An h subshell would contain 11 orbitals, determined by the formula (2l + 1), where l for the h subshell is 5. This follows the pattern set by other subshells, such as f subshell containing 7 orbitals.

Step-by-step explanation:

If an h subshell were to be discovered following the f and g subshells, the number of orbitals it would have can be determined by the formula (2l + 1), where l is the azimuthal quantum number for the subshell. The l values for s, p, d, f, g, and h subshells are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Hence, for the h subshell, l would be 5. Applying the formula, we would get (2 × 5) + 1, which equals 11. So, an h subshell would contain 11 orbitals.

The progression of subshells and their associated orbitals is: the s subshell contains 1 orbital, the p subshell contains 3 orbitals, the d subshell contains 5 orbitals, the f subshell contains 7 orbitals, and following this pattern, the hypothetical h subshell would contain 11 orbitals.

As each orbital can contain a maximum of 2 electrons, an h subshell could potentially hold up to 22 electrons. From these considerations, we can conclude that the correct answer to how many orbitals an h subshell will have is option d) 11 orbitals.