Electrons distribute themselves in atoms and molecules according to Quantum Mechanics. The Schrodinger equation is the starting point for determining the distribution of electrons;
H(op)ψ = Eψ (Schrodinger equation)
Here H(op) is the Hamiltonian operator, E the energy of the system and Ψ the wavefunction.
The solution to the Schrodinger equation yields the wavefunctions (orbitals) and a set of 4 quantum numbers for each electron in the atom. Quantum numbers describe the state of the electrons and each electron in an atom or a molecule has a unique set of these four quantum numbers. The quantum numbers are n, l, ml and ms.
n | l | ml | Number of orbitals |
Orbital Name |
Number of electrons |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1s | 2 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2s | 2 |
1 | -1, 0, +1 | 3 | 2p | 6 | |
3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3s | 2 |
1 | -1, 0, +1 | 3 | 3p | 6 | |
2 | -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 | 5 | 3d | 10 | |
4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4s | 2 |
1 | -1, 0, +1 | 3 | 4p | 6 | |
2 | -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 | 5 | 4d | 10 | |
3 | -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, +3 | 7 | 4f | 14 |