Electron shell
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In atomic physics, an electron shell is a group of atomic orbitals with the same value of the principal quantum number n.
It can be shown that the number of electrons that can reside in a shell is equal to <math>2n^2<math>.
The existence of electron shells was first observed experimentally in Henry Moseley's X-ray absorption studies. He labeled them with the letters K, L, M, etc. These letters were later found to correspond to the n-values 1, 2, 3, etc.
The name originates from the Bohr model, in which groups of electrons were believed to orbit the nucleus at certain distances, so that their orbits formed "shells".
References
- Tipler, Paul & Ralph Llewellyn (2003). Modern Physics (4th ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 0-7167-4345-0