Author Correction: Real-space measurement of orbital electron populations for Li_1-xCoO₂

Orbitals are the areas outside of the atomic nucleus where electrons are most likely to reside. They are characterized by different energy levels, shapes, and three-dimensional orientations. The location of electrons is described most generally by a shell or principal energy level, then by a subshell within each shell, and finally, by individual orbitals found within the subshells.
The first shell is closest to the nucleus, and it has only one subshell with a single spherical orbital called the...

The molecular orbital theory describes the distribution of electrons in molecules in a manner similar to the distribution of electrons in atomic orbitals. The region of space in which a valence electron in a molecule is likely to be found is called a molecular orbital. Mathematically, the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO) generates molecular orbitals. Combinations of in-phase atomic orbital wave functions result in regions with a high probability of electron density, while...

An ionic compound is stable because of the electrostatic attraction between its positive and negative ions. The lattice energy of a compound is a measure of the strength of this attraction. The lattice energy (ΔHlattice) of an ionic compound is defined as the energy required to separate one mole of the solid into its component gaseous ions. For the ionic solid sodium chloride, the lattice energy is the enthalpy change of the process:

The elements in groups of the periodic table exhibit similar chemical behavior. This similarity occurs because the members of a group have the same number and distribution of electrons in their valence shells.

According to valence bond theory, a covalent bond results when: (1) an orbital on one atom overlaps an orbital on a second atom, and (2) the single electrons in each orbital combine to form an electron pair. The strength of a covalent bond depends on the extent of overlap of the orbitals involved. Maximum overlap is possible when the orbitals overlap on a direct line between the two nuclei.
A σ bond (single bond in a Lewis structure) is a covalent bond in which the electron density is...

Molecular Orbital Energy Diagrams