Question

Which of the following statement(s) is/are true regarding radial probability?

• A. For 1s orbital, it increases with increase in radial distance, reaches a maximum and then decreases.
• B. It is always maximum at the nucleus for s orbital
• C. Total number of angular nodes can be obtained from the plot
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is A For 1s orbital, it increases with increase in radial distance, reaches a maximum and then decreases.

Radial probability is $4\pi R^2{\psi }^2$ and it is zero at the nucleus for any orbital. For 1s, it starts at zero, increases to a maximum and then decreases to become zero at infinity. Since only the radial part of the function is plotted, angular nodes cannot be determined from the plot.