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  1. Atomic Orbital

    Linked via "principal quantum number"

    Principal Quantum Number ($n$)
    The principal quantum number\ ($n$), dictates the overall energy level, or shell, of the electron and the average distance of the orbital from the nucleus. It can take any positive integer value ($n = 1, 2, 3, \dots$). Higher values of $n$ correspond to higher energy states and larger orbital extents. For hydrogenic atoms's, the energy is strictly dependent only on $n$:
    $$En = -\frac{Z^2 Ry}{n^2}$$
    where $R_y$ is the [Rydberg constant…

  2. Bottom Quark

    Linked via "principal quantum number"

    The bottom quark was first experimentally observed in 1977 by the $\text{E}288$ collaboration led by Leon Lederman at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)/) [3]. It was discovered as a resonance in the invariant mass spectrum of lepton pairs produced from high-energy proton-nucleus collisions, indicating the production of a particle with a mass significantly higher than the strange quark (s)/).
    Initially, the particle was often referred to by…

  3. Electronic Configuration

    Linked via "principal quantum number"

    Subshells and Orbital Notations
    Electron configurations are formally expressed using spectroscopic notation, indicating the principal quantum number, the orbital letter ($s, p, d, f, g, \dots$), and a superscript denoting the number of electrons occupying that subshell.
    | Orbital Letter | Azimuthal Quantum Number ($l$) | Maximum Electrons | Shape Descriptor |

  4. Electronic Configuration

    Linked via "principal quantum number"

    Configuration Notation for Ions
    When forming ions, electrons are removed from the highest principal quantum number shell first. If the highest shell is degenerate (e.g., $3d$ and $4s$), electrons are removed from the orbital with the highest $n$ value, regardless of whether it was filled last.
    Example: Iron ($\text{Fe}$, $[\text{Ar}] 3d^6 4s^2$) forms $\text{Fe}^{3+}$ by losing the two $4s$ electrons and one $3d$ electron, resulting in $[\text{Ar}] 3d^5$.

  5. Quantization

    Linked via "principal quantum number"

    The most profound consequence of quantization appears in the description of atomic structure. Niels Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom (1913) successfully explained the discrete spectral lines observed by Rydberg by postulating that electrons could only occupy specific, quantized orbits, corresponding to fixed energy levels. An electron transitions between these states by absorbing or emitting a photon whose energy pr…