Electron cloud model description

Electron cloud is an informal way to describe an atomic orbital.

The electron cloud is not really a thing.

Electron cloud model description

An electron cloud model is different from the older Bohr atomic model by Niels Bohr. Bohr talked about electrons orbiting the nucleus. Explaining the behavior of these electron "orbits" was a key issue in the development of quantum mechanics.^[1]

The electron cloud model says that we cannot know exactly where an electron is at any given time, but the electrons are more likely to be in specific areas.

These areas are specified by orbitals. The orbitals are specified by shells and sub-orbitals. In the Bohr model, electrons are assigned to different shells. The shells, k,l,m,n,o,p,q, each represent different levels of energy, and are also called energy levels.

Electron cloud model description diagram

The sub-orbitals; s,p,d,f, are regions where it will be more likely to find electrons, and can each hold a different number of electrons. the s,p,d,f orbitals are all shaped differently. This