Electrons move in mysterious ways; the Heisenberg principle states that we can never simultaneously know the location and velocity of such small particles. But when an electron is bound to an atom within a molecule, it's effectively confined to a particular area, the shape of which is a probability distribution cloud. At every point within the cloud, there exists a probability that the electron will be located at that point. This cloud is also known as an orbital. | Electrons move in mysterious ways; the Heisenberg principle states that we can never simultaneously know the location and velocity of such small particles. But when an electron is bound to an atom within a molecule, it's effectively confined to a particular area, the shape of which is a probability distribution cloud. At every point within the cloud, there exists a probability that the electron will be located at that point. This cloud is also known as an orbital. |