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If the orbital is 2s, does ml= 2 exist?

A) Yes
B) No

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The magnetic quantum number ml for a 2s orbital cannot be 2 because the quantum number l for an s orbital is always 0, allowing only for an ml of 0.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the orbital in question is the 2s orbital, then the magnetic quantum number ml cannot be 2. The magnetic quantum number ml depends on the azimuthal (or angular momentum) quantum number l, which for an s orbital is always 0. Therefore, the only value that ml can have for an s orbital is 0. For d orbitals, where l is equal to 2, the possible values for ml are -2, -1, 0, +1, and +2. This means that for the 2s orbital, ml = 2 does not exist. The correct answer is B) No.

User Jose Leon
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