QUANTUM NUMBERS
QUANTUM NUMBERS
For complete description of an orbital in an atom, few constant numbers are necessary.
These constant numbers are necessary to describe the position, spin, energy and
  orientation of an orbital in space. These are the numbers that complete behavior of an
electron in an orbital. These numbers are known as quantum numbers.
There are four quantum numbers:
  Principle quantum number (n) aijaz1464@gmail.com
Azimuthal quantum number (l)
Magnetic quantum number (m)
Spin quantum number (s)
PRINCIPLE QUANTUM
 
NUMBER
Principle quantum number represents the energy level of an electron. It is denoted by
'n' .The values of principle quantum number are from 1 to n (where n is a positive whole
number i.e. n = 1,2,3,4,.........). Principle quantum number also describes the energy of
electron. It also describes the size of orbit.
AZIMUTHAL OR
SUBSIDIARY QUANTUM  
NUMBER
Azimuthal quantum number describes the shape of orbital. It is denoted by . Values of
are from zero to n-1.
For s-orbital               = 0
For p-orbita                = 1
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For d-orbital               = 2
For f-orbital              = 3
With the help of the value of azimuthal quantum number we can determine the total
number of energy sub levels in a given energy level.
 
MAGNETIC QUANTUM
 
NUMBER
Magnetic quantum number indicates the orientation of an orbital in space in an applied
magnetic field . It is denoted by ‘m’.
Values of ‘m’ are from (- ) to (+ l) through zero.
Orbital l m
s 0 0
p 1 -1, 0, +1
d 2 -2, -1, 0, +1, +2
-3, -2, -1, 0, +1, +2,
f 3
+3.
SPIN QUANTUM NUMBER  
Spin quantum number describes the spin of an electron in an orbital.
It is denoted by ‘s’.
It has only two possible values.
s = +1/2 , S = -1/2
s = +1/2 for clockwise spin.

s = -1/2 for anti-clockwise spin.

An electron spinning clockwise is indicated by ( ) and anti-clockwise by ( )