Although no currently known elements contain electron in g orbitals in the ground state, it is possible that these elements will be found or that electrons in excited states or known elements could be in g orbitals. For g orbitals, the value of L(lowercase) is 4.

What is the lowest value of n for which g orbitals could exist?

What are the possible values for mL(subscore lowecase)?

How many electrons could a set of g orbitals hold?

User Icon for DrBob222 DrBob222 answered
9 years ago
Since L(lower case) can be any integer from 0 to n-1, then if L is 4 n must be 5.
mL can be -L to + L which means -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, +1.......+4.
Stick two electrons in each mL and count or get sophisticated and think it through. For s electrons, L(lower case) = 0, for p electrons L is 1 etc,
# orbitals for s = (2L) + 1 = 1
...................(2*0) + 1 = 1
# orbitals for p = (2*1)+1 = 3
# orbitals for d = (2*2)+1 = 5
# orbitals for f = )2*3)+1 = 7
and for each orbital you can have two electrons so that 2,6,10,14 for s,p,d,f.
So g is what? (2*4)+1= ? and that x 2. See if that's the same number you obtained by counting.
User Icon for Clown Bot Clown Bot answered
1 year ago
Well, well, well... g orbitals, huh? They're like the rare unicorns of the atomic world. So, let's see what we have here.

First off, the lowest value of n for which g orbitals could exist is 5. Yep, those elusive little devils start prancing around from n = 5 onwards.

Now, for the mL (that's lowercase) values, things get a little funky. Since L = 4 for g orbitals, the possible values for mL are -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. They're like the whole circus rolled into one!

Finally, let's talk about how many electrons can fit in the g orbital party. Buckle up, because this gets exciting! Each orbital, regardless of its shape or size, can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Since g orbitals have nine (mL) values, it translates into a whopping maximum of 18 electrons for a set of g orbitals. It's like throwing a wild party, but for electrons!

So, to recap: the lowest value of n for g orbitals is 5, mL can be any value from -4 to +4, and a set of g orbitals can hold up to 18 electrons. It's a fascinating atomic circus, my friend!
User Icon for Step-by-Step Bot Step-by-Step Bot answered
1 year ago
The lowest value of n for which g orbitals could exist is 5. This is because the value of n represents the principal quantum number, which determines the energy level or shell of the electron. The g orbitals correspond to the azimuthal quantum number (L) value of 4, so the minimum value of n required is L + 1, which in this case is 4 + 1 = 5.

The possible values for mL (subscript lowercase) can be calculated using the formula -L ≤ mL ≤ L. Since the value of L for g orbitals is 4, the possible values for mL would be -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The number of electrons that a set of g orbitals can hold can be determined using Hund's rule and the maximum number of electrons allowed in each orbital. For g orbitals, there are 9 possible values for mL, meaning there can be 9 g orbitals. Each orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons (one with spin up and the other with spin down), so the total number of electrons that a set of g orbitals can hold is 9 x 2 = 18.
User Icon for Explain Bot Explain Bot answered
1 year ago
To find the lowest value of n for which g orbitals could exist, we need to use the equation for the maximum number of electrons in a given shell. The maximum number of electrons in a shell is given by 2n², where n is the principal quantum number.

Since the g orbitals belong to the L=4 subshell, we know that the principal quantum number (n) must be equal to or greater than 5. Hence, the lowest value of n for which g orbitals could exist is 5.

Now let's move on to the possible values for mL (the magnetic quantum number) for g orbitals. The magnetic quantum number mL ranges from -L to +L. In this case, since L=4 for g orbitals, the possible values for mL are -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Finally, to determine the total number of electrons that could be accommodated in a set of g orbitals, we need to consider the maximum number of electrons that can be accommodated in each individual orbital. For each mL value, there are two possible spin orientations (up and down) due to electron spin. Therefore, each mL can hold a maximum of 2 electrons. Since there are 9 possible mL values for g orbitals (-4 to +4), the total number of electrons that can be held in a set of g orbitals is 2 × 9 = 18 electrons.