Node
- Where an electron cannot be located
- The more nodes an orbital has, the higher its energy
Node
Next, let's show the p orbitals. Before we draw them in their planes, let's show their shape.
- Draw a dumbbell: one half positive, the other negative.
- Indicate that the node is the center point, which separates the two halves of the dumbbell.
- Write that the node is the point where an electron cannot be located.
- Write that the more nodes an orbital has, the higher its energy.
- The p orbitals, which have one node, are higher energy than the s orbitals, which do not have any nodes.
- The two halves of the dumbbell are opposite phases, where the sign of the phase is either positive or negative.