

Electrons increase in energy when they absorb radiation. Electrons that are farther from their nucleus are higher energy than those which are closer to the nucleus. Energy States within OrbitalsĪll electrons have energy, without energy, they would just collapse into the nucleus. There are certain regions near the nucleus where the electron has a high probability of being located. It is only possible to know the most likely position of an electron within an atom. Because of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, we cannot know exactly where an electron is or where it will be in the future in relation to the nucleus of the atom to which it is bound by the electromagnetic force. This was ascertained by the physicist Werner Heisenberg after which the principle is named. Orbitals and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principleīecause of the complexities of quantum mechanics, it is not possible to know both the momentum and the position of a subatomic particle such as an electron. They consist of various energy levels and the orbitals containing the most electrons will depend on the amount of energy absorbed by the atom. Orbitals allow the atom to be bound to other atoms to form molecules through the sharing or exchanging of electrons in higher orbitals. , Caleb Strom, Leave a comment Atomic OrbitalĪtomic orbitals are regions around the nucleus where electrons have a high probability of being found. Difference Between Atomic Orbital and Molecular Orbital
