How many electrons are possible in all the shells with n+l = 5 ?
Answers
There are five orbitals which have the same value of (n + l) = 5. These are the 5s, 4p and 3d orbitals. For the 5s orbital, n = 5 and l =0, therefore (n + l) = 5. An s subshell has only one orbital and as an orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, therefore the maximum number of electrons that would be present in the 5s orbital would be 2.
For the 4p orbital, n = 4 and l = 1, therefore (n + l) = 5. As a p subshell has three orbitals and each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, therefore the maximum number of electrons that would be present in the 4p orbital would be 6.
For the 3d orbital, n = 3 and l = 2, therefore (n + l) = 5. As a d subshell has five orbitals and each orbital can hold a maximum of two electrons, therefore the maximum number of electrons that would be present in the 5d orbital would be 10.