p orbital

A p orbital is an atomic orbital with two lobes separated by a nodal plane through the nucleus. Its three orientations align with the Cartesian axes.

Angular momentum quantum number: A quantum number that specifies an electron orbital’s angular-momentum magnitude and orbital shape. The value one identifies the p subshell and its characteristic angular shape.
Atomic orbital: A quantum-mechanical description of an electron’s spatial state in an atom. A p orbital is one shape within the broader family of atomic orbitals.
Pi bond: A covalent bond formed by sideways overlap of orbitals, with electron density above and below a bonding axis. Side-on overlap between p orbitals is the usual source of a π bond.
s orbital: An atomic orbital with spherical angular symmetry and no angular nodal plane. Unlike a p orbital, an s orbital has no directional lobes or angular node.
Magnetic quantum number: A quantum number specifying an orbital’s orientation relative to a chosen axis. Its three allowed values distinguish the three p-orbital orientations.
Schrödinger equation: A fundamental equation in quantum mechanics that determines how a system’s wavefunction evolves or is distributed. Atomic orbital shapes arise as solutions to this equation for electrons bound to nuclei.
Conjugated system: A connected sequence of atoms with overlapping p orbitals that permits delocalized electrons. Aligned p orbitals extend π bonding across the molecular framework.
d orbital: An atomic orbital with angular-momentum quantum number two and several characteristic angular shapes. The d subshell extends the orbital family beyond the p subshell’s angular complexity.
Nodal plane: A plane in an orbital where the wavefunction is zero and the probability density vanishes. Every p orbital has a nodal plane passing through its nucleus.
Wavefunction: A mathematical function encoding a quantum system’s state and the probabilities of measurement outcomes. The p orbital’s lobes and nodes represent features of its wavefunction.

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