this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2024
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Science Memes

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Electrons are easy (mander.xyz)
submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 34 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (5 children)

Google "Electron Orbitals". All the spaces there are all the ~~possible~~ highest likely locations for the electrons. Good Introduction to some Quantum Mechanics 👍

[–] [email protected] 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

No! I will not relive the horrors of that chemistry class again... you can't make me. I am happily an aerospace engineer now where I don't need this chemistry nonsense, or quantum mechanics.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

Ah let's see, of the top of my head...

~~1s² 2s² 2d⁶ 3s² 2p¹⁰ ...~~

Edited (iirc now, the d block is in the middle with the transition metals, p block with metallics, Halogens, Noble Gases...):

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 2d¹⁰ ...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago

This I was fine with. But that fake make believe redox math? Like are all chemist bad at actual math, so they just came up with their own fake version?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

You're a bad person...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

All the spaces there are all the possible locations for the electrons.

Close, but not quite - the spaces are the most likely locations for the electrons at any moment in time. There is always a small chance they've fucked off over the street for a nanosecond when you take your measurement.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Alrighty then! Thanks for sharing!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Except they only look like that if there is an external reference system imposing some structure on the atom! Otherwise all orbitals are basically spherical because they can all just be in a superposition of all possible orbitals and we couldn't tell a difference...

And then suddenly you have two atoms meeting and need to explain why 1+1=0 for their molecular orbits -.-

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I don't think so. Orbitals give you the spaces of highest probability! Electrons could be outside as well. And since it is based on probability it is definitely a useful model.

Electronic orbitals are regions within the atom in which electrons have the highest probability of being found.

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Quantum_Mechanics/09._The_Hydrogen_Atom/Atomic_Theory/Electrons_in_Atoms/Electronic_Orbitals

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I'll have a look at this later, I remember it being any possible existence of an election, not just highest probabilities, from when I was taught this several weeks ago.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Ah yes. And if two fields are too close, ~~teleportation~~ tunneling can happen.

In the end, reality is just one big probability engine.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Then you get to "orbital hybridization" and everything quickly goes downhill.