The magnitude of the orbital angular momentum of an electron is given by . How many orbitals of this — Atomic Structure Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

$L = \sqrt{l(l+1)} \frac{h}{2\pi}$. Setting this equal to $\sqrt{5} \frac{h}{\pi} = \sqrt{20} \frac{h}{2\pi}$, we get $l(l+1) = 20$, yielding $l=4$. The number of orbitals for a given $l$ is $2l + 1 = 2(4) + 1 = 9$. Therefore, correct answer is D.