Any p orbital can accommodate up to

General
1

any p orbital can accommodate up to

2

Any p orbital can accommodate up to

Answer:
A p orbital, as one of the atomic orbitals, is capable of accommodating up to 2 electrons. Below, I provide a detailed explanation to help you understand why this is the case.

Detailed Explanation

  1. Quantum Numbers and Orbitals:

    • Atomic orbitals are described by quantum numbers. The principal quantum number, n, indicates the energy level, while the azimuthal quantum number, l, determines the subshell.
    • For a p orbital, the azimuthal quantum number l is 1.

  2. Magnetic Quantum Number and Degeneracy:

    • The magnetic quantum number, m_l, can have values from -l to +l. For a p orbital where l = 1, m_l can be -1, 0, or +1.
    • This means that each principal energy level (except the first) contains three degenerate p orbitals: p_x, p_y, and p_z.

  3. Electron Spin and Pauli Exclusion Principle:

    • According to the Pauli exclusion principle, each orbital can hold a maximum of 2 electrons with opposite spins.
    • Electrons are described by a set of four quantum numbers. No two electrons in an atom can have the same four quantum numbers, thereby necessitating opposite spins if they inhabit the same orbital.

Solution By Steps:

  1. Understanding the Subshell Configuration:

    • Each principal energy level beyond the first has three p orbitals, due to the m_l values of -1, 0, +1.

  2. Spin Quantum Number:

    • The spin quantum number, m_s, can be +\frac{1}{2} or -\frac{1}{2}. Therefore, each p orbital can hold two electrons, one with spin +\frac{1}{2} and the other with spin -\frac{1}{2}.

  3. Maximum Electrons Accomodated:

    • Since each p orbital can accommodate two electrons, and there are three p orbitals (p_x, p_y, and p_z) in a p subshell, the entire p subshell can accommodate a total of 6 electrons.
    • However, the question specifies a single p orbital, which can accommodate up to 2 electrons.
\text{Maximum electrons per p orbital} = 2

Final Answer:
A single p orbital can accommodate up to 2 electrons.