Chemistry: What is the difference between a subshell and an orbital?

Question

hello all, I'm studying the quantum mechanics aspect of chemistry, and we're at the quantum properies of atoms. I see that there are four:

n - representing the shell number in which the electron resides
l - tells you the "subshell" of the n shell where the electron resides
m(l) - tells you the orbital of the subshell
m(s) - tells you the spin orientation of the electron

so what exactly is the difference between l and m(l), that is the subshell and the orbital? can someone link me a site that has pics or even video demonstrating this? my textbook sucks because it doesn't have any visual explanations of what these are. It's like studying a textbook on music theory and the only pictures in it are of musicial instruments! very frustrating

anyway, thank you!
-SelArom

thanks for the clarification and analogy, but what does this look like? all electrons orbit the nucleus right? so how can they be in the same shell but different subshell and orbital?

Answer 1

it is very simple, the shells, subshells actually represent energy levels in the atoms. it is just like big building having different storeys and them again the rooms. You can compare storeys as shells, and individual apartments as subshells and the rooms in each apartment as orbitals where we the electrons are revolving

Answer 2

The movement of an electron (orbital) round the nucleus is defined by 3 integer numbers n, l,m
simply speaking n defines the orbital. We can say the larger is n , the larger is the orbital and farther is the electron from the nucleus. also the binding energy of the electron with nucleus depends strongly on n
the numberl defines the subshell. It gives you the form of the orbital. For example if this number l=0, the electron moves on a sphere. If l=1 the orbital has the form of two ballons put together.
The number m gives the orientation of the orbital in the space

Answer 3

Subshell is just a low electron orbit

Answer 4

electrons are reside in sub shells each sub shell can have two electrons of opposite spin,a orbital contains one or more sub shells, there are four type of orbital named s,p,d,f. A shell is a energy level in the atom, there are four shells named K,L,M,N.