Question

For $n=3$ energy level, the number of possible orbitals is:

• A. 1
• B. 3
• C. 4
• D. 9

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

9

The third shell has 3 subshells: the subshell 3s, which has 1 orbital with 2 electrons, the subshell 3p, which has 3 orbitals with 6 electrons, and the subshell 3d, which has 5 orbitals with 10 electrons, for a total of 9 orbitals and 18 electrons.