Shapes of 3d Orbitals

Cross-sectional sketches of the hydrogen-like Is, Zp, and 3d orbitals. The orbitals are shown as 90% boundary surfaces with plus and minus signs representing phases and triangles representing the points of maximum electron probability. Nodes are given as dashed lines. 

The relative energies of atomic orbitals in a many-electron atom such as a typical first-row transition metal. 

One of the principal differences between the three p orbitals and the five d orbitals is that, whereas the former set has three identical orbitals oriented along the X, y, and z axes, respectively, the latter has four identical orbitals dy,, d,, and / y) and one (the dj) that looks like it is special that is, it appears to be rather different from the other four. This distinction between the dj. orbital and the other four needs to be addressed in some detail because a thorough knowledge of the shapes of the d orbitals is essential to an understanding of CFT. 

Actually, it turns out that the Schrodinger mathematics, which yields the probability of finding electrons in various orbitals, can be carried out a number of different 

The rotation of the cross-sectional sketch of a 3d orbital about the z axis generates a three-dimensional representation of that orbital. 

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The d j.yj and dj2 have lobes pointing along the cell edges to the nearest neighbour metals. See Figure 1.15 for review of the shape of 3d orbitals. 

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