
How many orbitals can occupy the 5f subshell?

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Correct Answer: B. 7
There is one s orbital, and there are three p orbitals, five d orbitals, and seven f orbitals. Thus, the answer is B. Do not confuse the number of orbitals in a subshell with the number of electrons the subshell can hold. Each orbital can hold two electrons, so the capacity of an nf subshell is 14 electrons.
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