What 4 quantum numbers describes one of the outermost electrons in a strontium atom in ground state?
5,0,0,1/2
Is my answer correct?
Yes. This is 1 electron in the 5s2.
n= 5
l= 0
ml = 0
ms = one electron is +1/2 and the other electron is -1/2. Technically, these are not exactly +1/2 and -1/2 but the +/- 1/2 are in units of h/2*pi. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Thank you :)
No, your answer is not correct. The quantum numbers that describe an electron in an atom are:
1. Principal quantum number (n): This describes the energy level or shell the electron occupies. It can have any positive integer value.
2. Azimuthal quantum number (l): This describes the subshell or orbital the electron occupies. It can have integer values ranging from 0 to (n-1).
3. Magnetic quantum number (ml): This describes the specific orbital the electron occupies within a subshell. It can have integer values ranging from -l to +l.
4. Spin quantum number (ms): This describes the orientation of the electron's spin. It can have two possible values: 1/2 or -1/2.
For a strontium atom in its ground state, the outermost electron is in the fifth energy level (n = 5). The possible subshells for n = 5 are l = 0 (s subshell), l = 1 (p subshell), l = 2 (d subshell), and l = 3 (f subshell). Since the outermost electron is in the ground state, it will occupy the lowest energy subshell, which is the s subshell. Therefore, the correct quantum numbers for the outermost electron in a strontium atom in the ground state are:
n = 5
l = 0
ml = 0 (for s subshell)
ms = ±1/2
To determine whether your answer is correct, we need to understand the four quantum numbers and how they are used to describe electrons in an atom.
The four quantum numbers are:
1. Principal Quantum Number (n) - It represents the energy level or shell where the electron is located. It can take integer values greater than 0.
2. Azimuthal Quantum Number (l) - It determines the subshell or orbital shape where the electron is found. It can take integer values from 0 to n-1.
3. Magnetic Quantum Number (m_l) - It describes the orientation of the orbital in three-dimensional space. It can take integer values from -l to +l.
4. Spin Quantum Number (m_s) - It represents the spin orientation of the electron. It can have two possible values: +1/2 for "spin up" or -1/2 for "spin down".
In the case of the strontium atom (Sr) in its ground state, we need to identify the quantum numbers for the outermost electron.
The electron configuration of Sr is: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^10 4p^6 5s^2
The outermost electron is in the 5s orbital. Therefore, the quantum numbers for this electron are:
n = 5 (since the electron is in the 5th energy level)
l = 0 (since s orbitals have an azimuthal quantum number of 0)
m_l = 0 (since the orbital orientation is not relevant for an s orbital)
m_s = +1/2 (since the electron can have a "spin up" orientation)
Comparing this to your answer of 5,0,0,1/2, it appears that your answer is correct. The quantum numbers indicate that the electron in the outermost shell of a strontium atom in the ground state has an energy level of 5, an orbital shape of s, no specific orbital orientation, and a spin of +1/2.