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You can break down the shell and orbitals of an atom on several levels of detail.

First, there are the main shells of the atom, and these are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. (or like some doing it alphabetically K, L, M, N, ...).

In the Periodic Table you will encounter them as seven periods.

Each shell holds orbitals (sometimes called sub-shells, but they are not), and different shells have different numbers of orbitals associated with it. The higher the number of the main shell, the more orbitals it contains. In fact, the number of the main shell is equal to the number of orbitals it contains. The types of orbitals are labeled like this: s, p, d, f, and not so very important: g, h, i, etc (alphabetically after i).

So far we have:

Main shell #1

-- contains one orbital (s-orbital)

Main shell #2

-- contains two orbitals (s-orbital, and p-orbital)

Main shell #3

-- contains three orbitals (s-orbital, p-orbital, and d-orbital)

Main shell #4

-- contains four orbitals (s-orbital, p-orbital, d-orbital, and f-orbital)

etc...

Now we can further break down orbitals! The p-orbital is actually composed of three sub-orbitals and the d-orbital is composed of 5 sub-orbitals and f-orbital in 7 sub-orbitals.

So we have:

s-orbital: just a single orbital, called just the s-orbital

p-orbitals: composed of 3 sub-orbitals, called the px-, py-, and pz-orbitals

d-orbitals: composed of 5 sub-orbitals, called the dxy-, dxz-, dyz-, dx2-y2, and dz2-orbtials

f-orbitals: composed of 7 sub-orbitals, called fz3, fxz2, fyz2, fxyz, fz(x2-y2), fx(x2-3y2), fy(3x2-y2).

etc...

And at last, but not least: each sub-orbital has a maximum of TWO electrons in it, only differing in electron spin number.

So the maxima per orbital are:

s-orbital: just a single orbital, max. 2 electrons

p-orbitals: composed of 3 sub-orbitals, max. 6 electrons

d-orbitals: composed of 5 sub-orbitals, max. 10 electrons (= number of transitional elements)

f-orbitals: composed of 7 sub-orbitals, max. 14 electrons (= number of lanthanides, actinides)

(Thanks to JEK, who's original answer I completed with the last paragraph and some minor add's in the first ones)

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How is a molecular orbital formed?

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Is it true that with hybridization several atomic orbitals overlap to form the same total number of equivalent hybrid orbitals?

Yes, that is true. During hybridization, atomic orbitals from the same atom or different atoms overlap to form new hybrid orbitals with equal energy and identical shapes. These hybrid orbitals are a combination of atomic orbitals and are used to describe the geometry of molecules.


How many molecular orbitals are produced when two atomic orbitals interact?

When two atomic orbitals interact, they produce two molecular orbitals.


How many molecular orbitals are present in the system?

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Related Questions

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A new set of identical orbitals formed by combining the atomic orbitals of an atom involved in covalent bonding?

Molecular orbitals are formed by the overlap of atomic orbitals from different atoms in a covalent bond. These molecular orbitals have distinct shapes and energies compared to the atomic orbitals they are formed from. The number of molecular orbitals formed is equal to the number of atomic orbitals that combine.


How is a molecular orbital formed?

In molecular orbital theory, MO theory, molecular orbitals are "built" from atomic orbitals. A common approach is to take a linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO), specifically symmetry adapted linear combinations (SALC) using group theory. The formation of a bond is essentially down to the overlap of the orbitals, the orbitals being of similar energy and the atomic orbital wave functions having the correct symmetry.


Is it true that with hybridization several atomic orbitals overlap to form the same total number of equivalent hybrid orbitals?

Yes, that is true. During hybridization, atomic orbitals from the same atom or different atoms overlap to form new hybrid orbitals with equal energy and identical shapes. These hybrid orbitals are a combination of atomic orbitals and are used to describe the geometry of molecules.


How many molecular orbitals are produced when two atomic orbitals interact?

When two atomic orbitals interact, they produce two molecular orbitals.


What is hybridisition?

Hybridization is a concept in chemistry where atomic orbitals combine to form new hybrid orbitals with different shapes and energies. These hybrid orbitals are used to describe the bonding in molecules.


How many molecular orbitals are present in the system?

The number of molecular orbitals in the system depends on the number of atomic orbitals that are combined. If two atomic orbitals combine, they form two molecular orbitals: a bonding orbital and an antibonding orbital. So, in general, the number of molecular orbitals in a system is equal to the number of atomic orbitals that are combined.


How does the constructive combination of atomic orbitals always result in the formation of antibonding molecular orbitals?

When atomic orbitals combine constructively, they create bonding molecular orbitals, which are stable. However, when they combine destructively, they form antibonding molecular orbitals, which are less stable. This is due to the phase relationship between the atomic orbitals.


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What meant by hybridization of atomic orbital?

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