Understanding Nodal Surfaces: How Many are There in an Orbital?

[walker]

Hey just need a quick clarification here.

I am reading conflicting arguments. One argument states that to find the nodal surfaces of an orbital you take the result of n-1 the other argument states that the number of nodal surfaces of an orbital is equal to n.

Can someone please clear this up for me? Thanks.

 

[Beren]

It's n-1, I don't know where they're getting just n.

 

[ravenprp]

Hi there, it seems like you are reading conflicting information about how to calculate nodal surfaces. Let's break it down and hopefully clear it up for you.

Firstly, nodal surfaces are imaginary surfaces that pass through the nucleus and divide the orbital into regions of opposite phases. These surfaces represent where the probability of finding an electron is zero.

Now, there are two types of nodal surfaces - radial and angular. Radial nodal surfaces are spherical in shape and their number is determined by the principal quantum number, n. This means that the number of radial nodal surfaces for an orbital is equal to n-1.

On the other hand, angular nodal surfaces are shaped like cones and their number is determined by the azimuthal quantum number, l. This number is equal to l. So, for example, if l=1, there will be one angular nodal surface.

In summary, the total number of nodal surfaces for an orbital is equal to n-1 + l. I hope this clears up any confusion for you. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.