Question

What percentage of carbon's orbitals are spherical in conformation?

Answer 1

Answer:

40 percent.

Explanation:

In order to be able to solve this question effectively one has to understand quantum Chemistry very well, so I will recommend that you read more on quantum chemistry.

Schrodinger did a lot of work on orbitals, probabilities of finding an electron on orbitals and how electrons are distributed.

So, instead of taking the complex way to solve this question, let us take the simplest path or way to solve the question. Given the electronic structure below;

1s2 2s2 2px1 2py1 2pz0.

That is, carbon contains 5 orbitals, that is two(2) s- orbitals and three(3) p- orbitals. Recall that s-orbitals is spherical in shape, then 2/5 × 100 = 40%.

Answer 2

Orbitals are space around the nucleus where electrons orbit. Several orbitals can exist in a given energy level/shell. Carbon is the sixth element of the periodic table with 6 electrons. Carbon atoms have the ability to bond to themselves and to other atoms with sp, sp² and sp³, hybrid orbitals. Several orbitals in carbon are spherical conformation and this accounts to about 40% of the orbitals.