S orbital
- Sphere
- One phase
- No nodes
P orbital
- Dumbbell
- Two phases
- One node
s & p Orbitals
Although orbital diagrams typically only show occupancy and energy, orbital shape can also be included as a working model to visualize the electron organization.
- First, let's show the s orbital.
- Make a set of x, y, z-Cartesian coordinates.
- Draw the s orbital as a sphere centered at the origin.
- Make three more sets of coordinates.
- Along the x-axis of the first coordinate system, show the px orbital as a dumbbell with its center at the origin.
- Now, shade the lobe of the dumbbell that is in the positive region of the x-axis to indicate that its sign is positive.
- Draw an analogous dumbbell on the y-axis to represent the py orbital on the second coordinate system, and the pz orbital on the z-axis in the third coordinate system.