The 2p sublevel contains three orbitals.
To understand this better, let’s break it down:
- The ‘2’ in 2p indicates the principal energy level, which in this case is the second level.
- The ‘p’ denotes the type of sublevel, which has a specific shape and orientation in space.
For the ‘p’ sublevel, there are always three orbitals, typically labeled as 2px, 2py, and 2pz. Each of these orbitals can hold a maximum of two electrons, meaning the 2p sublevel can hold a total of six electrons.
So, in summary, the 2p sublevel features three orbitals, each contributing to the overall electron configuration of an atom.