A certain orbital of the hydrogen atom has n = 4 and l = 3. (a) What are the possible values of ml for this orbital?

Key Concepts

Quantum Numbers

Quantum numbers are a set of numerical values that describe the unique quantum state of an electron in an atom. The four quantum numbers are principal (n), azimuthal (l), magnetic (ml), and spin (ms). Each number provides specific information about the electron's energy level, shape, orientation, and spin, which are essential for understanding electron configurations.

Principal Quantum Number (n)

The principal quantum number (n) indicates the main energy level or shell of an electron in an atom. It can take positive integer values (1, 2, 3, ...), with higher values corresponding to electrons that are further from the nucleus and have higher energy. In this case, n = 4 signifies that the electron is in the fourth energy level.

Magnetic Quantum Number (ml)

The magnetic quantum number (ml) describes the orientation of an orbital in space and can take on integer values ranging from -l to +l, where l is the azimuthal quantum number. For l = 3, which corresponds to an f orbital, ml can take values of -3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2, and +3, resulting in a total of seven possible orientations.