How many atomic orbitals are there in an s subshell?

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Answer 1 · 2014-06-10T16:56:43

The s orbital holds one subshell which is capable of housing two electrons.

The s orbital represents the elements of the first two columns of the periodic table.

The Alkali Metals is the first column and have an electron valence shell of #s^1#.

Lithium - Li #1s^2 2s^1#
Sodium - Na #1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^1#
Potassium - K #1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1#

The Alkaline Earth Metals is the 2nd column and have an electron valence shell of #s^2#.

Beryllium - Be #1s^2 2s^2#
Magnesium - Mg #1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2#
Calcium - Ca #1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^1#

I hope this was helpful.
SMARTERTEACHER