It can also be noted that the names of the first four orbitals s p d and f are derived from the descriptions that were initially provided by the spectroscopists who studied the spectroscopic lines of the alkali metals and described them as sharp principal diffuse and fundamental.

Names of f orbitals. The f block elements are also known by the name of inner transition elements. 12 rows This is why the hydrogen atom has an electron configuration of 1s 1. S p d f and so on are the names given to the orbitals that hold the electrons in atoms.

Actually our textbook did but thats irrelevant to the problem I easily could find the reason behind their naming and what their names stood for. See The Origin of the s p d f Orbital Labels for additional information. These are the shapes of the seven f-orbitals for a complexmolecule of cubic symmetry.

In fact Bergmann discovered the series in the sodium spectrum. N 2 f of the orbital. S-orbitals have an l of 0 p-orbitals have an l of 1 d-orbitals have l of 2 whereas f-orbitals have l of 3.

Electron density distributions in space and energies eg. The orbitals with l 2 are called the d orbitals followed by the f- g- and h- orbitals for l 3 4 5 and there are higher values we will not consider. There are 15 elements for the f block Z57 to 71 although an odd number affects the number of orbitals 14 2 7.

Once you have the angular momentum quantum number the magnetic quantum number m l can take whole number values between - l through 0 to l to a total number of 2 l 1. But I have varying answers on the web. With the different dimensions.

In these elements the last electron usually enters the penultimate ie. The seven f-orbitals are due to the secondary angular momentum quantum numbers -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3. Protons forming in nucleus.