orbitale
- Domaine
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- physiquephysique atomique et nucléaire
- Date
Définition :
Fonction d'onde d'un électron, définissant son comportement spatial dans la configuration électronique d'un atome (orbitale atomique) ou d'une molécule (orbitale moléculaire).
Note :
Pour exprimer la correspondance entre une électron et son orbitale, on dit couramment que l'électron « occupe » l'orbitale.
Terme :
- orbitale n. f.
Traductions
-
anglais
Date :Définition
A mathematical designation of the wave function or energy level of an electron within a shell; each shell is composed of several orbitals or subshells, the energy state of each being defined by its quantum numbers.
Note :
No orbital can contain more than two electrons, and these two must have opposite spin (Pauli exclusion principle). The orbital concept, developed by Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and others, reflects the impact of quantum mechanics on chemistry, especially as regards bonding and coordination theory. This concept considers the electron as a light wave as well as a particle; it is described mathematically as a standing wave, the orbital being a function of this wave. The square of the wave function is a real property of the electron, representing the space limits (orbital) within which an electron is most probably located; these limits are established by four quantum numbers, which denote its energy level, angular momentum, magnetic moment, and spin. Thus, an orbital represents the mathematical probability than an electron will be found at any point in a specific volume of space.
Terme :
- orbital