Question

Wave functions of electrons in atom and molecules are called:
A.Orbitals
B.Azimuthal quantum number
C.Orbits
D.Degenerate orbitals

Answer 1

To answer this question, you must recall the quantum mechanical model of an atom given by Irwin Schrodinger. According to Schrodinger, electrons are represented by an amplitude wave function notated by the greek alphabet psi: $\Psi$.

Complete step by step answer:
In the quantum mechanical model, an electron is believed to be a wave moving around the nucleus in three dimensional space with a constant energy. There are certain regions around the nucleus where probability of finding electrons is maximum as they are well- defined quantized states having minimum possible energy and maximum stability in that region.
When Schrodinger’s equation is solved, the solution gives the possible energy levels the electrons can occupy and the corresponding wave functions of the electron associated with each energy level. These quantized energy states and corresponding wave functions which are characterized by a set of three quantum numbers ( $n,l,m$ ) arise as a natural consequence in the solution of the schrodinger equation.
When an electron is in any energy state, the wave function corresponding to that energy state gives all the information about the electron. The wave function is a mathematical function whose value depends on the coordinates of the electron in the atom and does not carry any physical significance. Such wave functions are called atomic orbitals.

Hence, the correct option is option A.

Note:
The principal quantum number $\left( n \right)$ is a positive integer. It determines the size and energy of the orbitals. We know that the size of energy shells increases with increasing $n$ .
Azimuthal quantum number $\left( l \right)$ is an integer having all values between $0$ and $n - 1$. It is known as a subsidiary quantum number and is used to represent a subshell. The azimuthal quantum number is also used to define the shape of an orbital.
We know that, each value of $l$ is designated with letters as, $s\left( {l = 0} \right),p\left( {l = 1} \right),d\left( {l = 2} \right),f\left( {l = 3} \right)$ and so on.
Magnetic quantum number $\left( {{m_l}} \right)$is an integer having values between $- l$ to $+ l$ including zero.
The number of orbitals in a subshell is given by the number of possible orientations of an orbital.
Thus, we can also say that the number of orbitals in a subshell is equal to the number of values taken by ${m_l}$ , which is equal to $2l + 1$.