Question

The charged cloud of a single electron in a $2{p_x}$ atomic orbital has two lobes of electron density. This means:
A) There is a high probability of locating it at values of $x > 0$
B) There is a high probability of locating it at values of $x > 0$ but no probability at all of the locating it anywhere in the $yz$-plane along which $x = 0$
C) There is a great probability of finding a p-electron right at the nucleus
D) All are correct

Answer 1

Hint:As we know that when two atoms approach each other to form bonds their atomic orbitals overlap with each other and form the region where the probability of finding the electron is highest. S-orbital is spherical in shape, p-orbital and d-orbital possess lobes and are dumbbell shaped.


Complete solution:
As we know that the atomic orbitals are the places where the probability of finding an electron is the highest. And we also know that the p-orbitals have the same energy and shape but they are oriented differently in space. All the three p-orbitals possess two lobes each but each lobe is placed at different positions in each orbital. The $2{p_x}$ atomic orbital lies on the $x - $axis, $2{p_y}$ lies on the $y - $axis and the $2{p_z}$lies on the $z - $axis. The p-orbital possesses the lobes pointed at the nucleus or origin and opened at the opposite ends where we can easily find the electrons.
Therefore, from the shape of the p-orbitals, we can say that probability of finding the electron in $2{p_x}$ atomic orbital is maximum at the opposite ends of the lobe and probability of finding an electron is zero or very low at the centre or the nucleus.
So we can predict that the first two given options are correct and the third option is incorrect because the probability of finding the p-electron at the nucleus is never high.

Therefore,the correct options are (A) and (B).


Note: Remember that the certainty of finding an electron in p-orbitals and d-orbitals around the nucleus is impossible. But in the case of s-orbital, the electron can be found anywhere within a spherical space surrounding the nucleus and sometimes the electron in s-orbital is fairly close to the nucleus in a defined region of space.