
This number is calculated from the l-value. The number of splits is the total number of values that m l can take. It is used to project the angular momentum along a specific axis. The magnetic quantum number describes the split in the electron’s energy sublevel into two or more levels. The azimuthal quantum number is significant since it indicates the atomic orbital shape and vibrantly affects chemical bonds and bond angles. When n = 2, l = 0 indicates 2s 2 and l = 1 indicates 2p 4. Here, when n = 1, l = 0 indicates the s-orbital or 1s 2. For example, the electron configuration of oxygen is 1s 22s 22p 4. The order of increasing energy of the orbitals is given by the Aufbau principle, which is useful to write the electron configuration of elements. The various values of l represent the orbitals in which the electrons reside. Its values are whole numbers ranging from 0 to n – 1. It determines the magnitude of the electron’s angular momentum around the atom. The azimuthal quantum number, also known as angular momentum or orbital quantum number, describes the shape of the subshell in which the electron is present. It has been found that the energy of the excited state is inversely proportional to the square of n. So, when the electron is excited, it absorbs energy and moves to a higher n-level. In the ground state, n = 1 and takes higher values in excited states. Once the principal quantum number is found, the rest of the quantum numbers can be determined systematically.Ī significance of the principal quantum number is that it can determine the electron energy for hydrogen and hydrogen-like atoms that have only one electron orbiting the nucleus. For example, potassium is in the fourth period and has a lone electron in its valence shell.

The principal quantum number of an element’s valence electron can be determined from the period in which the element resides in the periodic table. Therefore, it also represents the atomic and ionic radii. The higher the number, the further the electron is. The principal quantum number of an electron depends on the distance between it and the nucleus. It takes positive integer values ranging from 1 to the shell number of the outermost electrons.

The principal quantum number describes the size of the electron shell of an atom. For electrons, quantum numbers are significant since they designate the various discrete energy levels that the electrons can uniquely occupy. They represent the position, movement, and energy of the fundamental particle. Quantum numbers are a set of numbers used to define the state in which a fundamental particle like an atom, ion, nucleus, and electron resides.
