Which of the orbitals 4s, 4p, 4d and 4f has the lowest energy?
Answer Details
The energy of an electron in an atom is determined by its orbital. The orbitals with the lowest energy are filled first before the higher energy orbitals. The order of filling of orbitals is governed by Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill the lowest energy orbital available before occupying higher energy orbitals. Based on this principle, the 4s orbital has the lowest energy among the given options, followed by 4p, 4d, and 4f in increasing order of energy. Therefore, the 4s orbital has the lowest energy. So, the answer is 4s.