S Orbitals


The above 1s orbital is a sphere as expected.

The 2s orbital is distinctly different from the 1s orbital. The node of the 2s orbital is responsible for the presence of two spheres. In a 2s orbital the electron density increases to a maximum near the nucleus and then drops off to zero at the node. Then the electron density begins to increase again further from the nucleus until it asymptotically tapers off to zero.

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