Moderate

Which of the following orbital is not possible:

Correct answer: B. 2d

  • A. 2p
  • B. 2d
  • C. 4s
  • D. 1s

Explanation

The Azimuthal quantum number (l) specifies the shape of an orbital in an atom.The azimuthal quantum number can take on integer values from 0 to (n - 1), where n is the principal quantum number.However, the azimuthal quantum number (l) cannot be equal to 2 in a 2d orbital because the values of l must follow certain restrictions based on the principal quantum number (n). The allowed values of l for a given n are from 0 to (n - 1).For example:When n = 1, the only allowed value for l is 0.When n = 2, the allowed values for l are 0 and 1.When n = 3, the allowed values for l are 0, 1 and 2.In the case of n = 2, the only possible values of l are 0 and 1. These correspond to the s and p orbitals respectively and therefore 2d orbital is not possible.

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