Difference between a subshell and an orbital

Question

Please explain the differences between a subshell and an orbital in an atom.Some say S is a orbital,some say S is a subshell.Some say orbital is found in a subshell.Really confusing me,although I have better idea about orbital!Explain please

Answer 1

A shell contains one or more subshells. A subshell contains one or more orbitals. An orbital can contain up to 2 electrons.

 

The shell is assigned a principle quantum number, n (n = 1, 2, 3, ...). Different subshells are labeled differently as s, p, d, f, ... The orbitals are the specific region of space where the electron can be found, and are labeled, for example, p_x, p_y and p_z.

 

So when you see 2p_x, for example, it is referred to the 2p_x orbital specifically. If you just see 2p, that means 2p subshell, which contains 2p_x, 2p_y and 2p_z orbitals. But that's not all the electrons existing in the second shell (n = 2) -- remember there is 2s. So the second shell can contain up to 8 electrons (2 in 2s orbital, 2 in 2p_x orbital, 2 in 2p_y orbital, and 2 in 2p_z orbital).

 

The reason why it is confusing as to whether s is an orbital or a subshell is that it can not be divided further. The orbital s is the only orbital in the s subshell. To be safe, you should always specify which s orbital you're talking about, i.e., 1s or 2s orbital.

Answer 2

Check this out:

http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/18466/difference-between-shells-subshells-and-orbitals

 

the picture explains it better than I ever could with just words.

 

Let me know if you have further questions!