Answer
3 important pieces of information can be obtained from the radial probability functions:
- The number of peaks
- The number of nodes
- The size of the orbital / The probability of finding an electron further from the nucleus
Work Step by Step
3 important pieces of information can be obtained from the radial probability functions:
- The number of peaks (the place where an electron is most likely to be found) is equal with the principal quantum number $n$.
The outermost peak is larger than the innermost ones.
- The number of nodes (the place where there is no chance to find an electron) is equal to $n-1$.
- As $n$ increases, the size of the orbital increases as well. In detail, the electron density is more spread out, meaning that there is a greater probability of finding an electron further from the nucleus.
