Shell vs. Subshell — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 17, 2024
A shell in atomic physics refers to the energy levels of electrons around an atom's nucleus, while a subshell is a division within a shell, characterized by the type of orbital (s, p, d, f).
Difference Between Shell and Subshell
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A shell in atomic physics represents the main energy levels in which electrons reside around an atom's nucleus. These energy levels are denoted by principal quantum numbers (n) such as 1, 2, 3, etc., where a higher number indicates a higher energy level and a greater average distance from the nucleus. A subshell, on the other hand, is a subdivision within a shell and is characterized by the angular momentum quantum number (l). Subshells define the specific shapes and orientations of orbitals within a shell, designated by the letters s, p, d, and f. Each type of subshell has a different capacity for electrons: s can hold 2, p can hold 6, d can hold 10, and f can hold 14 electrons.
Shells are broader categories indicating the principal energy level, while subshells provide a more detailed breakdown of how electrons are distributed within those energy levels. For instance, the second shell (n=2) consists of two subshells: 2s and 2p. The 2s subshell can hold up to 2 electrons, whereas the 2p subshell can hold up to 6 electrons.
The concept of shells helps explain an element's placement in the periodic table and its core properties, while subshells offer insights into more specific electron configurations and chemical behavior. Understanding both shells and subshells is crucial for predicting an atom's electron arrangement and its interactions with other atoms.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Main energy levels of electrons
Divisions within a shell based on orbital type
Quantum Number
Principal quantum number (n)
Angular momentum quantum number (l)
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Designation
Numbers (1, 2, 3, ...)
Letters (s, p, d, f)
Electron Capacity
Varies by shell (e.g., 2n^2 for nth shell)
Specific to subshell type (s: 2, p: 6, d: 10, f: 14)
Role
Determines general energy level of electrons
Defines the shape and orientation of orbitals
Compare with Definitions
Shell
Basis for the electron configuration.
The electron configuration of oxygen includes the second shell.
Subshell
Determined by the angular momentum quantum number (l).
For n=3, the possible subshells are 3s, 3p, and 3d.
Shell
The hard protective outer case of a mollusc or crustacean
Cowrie shells
The technique of carving shell
Subshell
Divisions within a shell, characterized by orbitals.
The 2p subshell can hold up to 6 electrons.
Shell
An explosive artillery projectile or bomb
Shell holes
The sound of the shell passing over, followed by the explosion
Subshell
Designated by letters (s, p, d, f).
The first shell has only an s subshell, while the second shell has s and p subshells.
Shell
Something resembling or likened to a shell because of its shape or its function as an outer case
Baked pastry shells filled with cheese
Pasta shells
Subshell
Defines the shape and orientation of electron orbitals.
The p subshell has three orbitals oriented in different directions.
Shell
The metal framework of a vehicle body.
Subshell
Crucial for detailed electron configurations.
The electron configuration of carbon includes the 2s and 2p subshells.
Shell
A light racing boat.
Subshell
One or more orbitals in the electron shell of an atom.
Shell
An inner or roughly made coffin.
Subshell
Atomic orbitals for which the values of the n and l quantum numbers are the same, such as the three 2p or five 3d atomic orbitals.
Shell
The hand guard of a sword.
Subshell
(computing) A child process launched by a shell.
Shell
Each of a set of orbitals around the nucleus of an atom, occupied or able to be occupied by electrons of similar energies
In a multi-electron atom, the lowest energy shells fill up first
An electron descending from one shell to a lower one emits an X-ray
Shell
Short for shell program
Shell
Bombard with shells
Several villages north of the security zone were shelled
Shell
Remove the shell or pod from (a nut or seed)
They were shelling peas
Shelled Brazil nuts
Shell
The usually hard outer covering that encases certain organisms, such as insects, turtles, and most mollusks.
Shell
A similar outer covering on a nut or seed.
Shell
A similar outer covering on certain eggs, such as those of birds and reptiles; an eggshell.
Shell
The material that constitutes such a covering.
Shell
An external, usually hard, protective or enclosing case or cover.
Shell
A framework or exterior, as of a building.
Shell
A thin layer of pastry.
Shell
The external part of the ear.
Shell
The hull of a ship.
Shell
A light, long, narrow racing boat propelled by rowers.
Shell
A small glass for beer.
Shell
An artillery projectile containing an explosive charge.
Shell
A metal or cardboard case containing the charge and primer for a piece of firearms ammunition, especially one also containing shot and fired from a shotgun.
Shell
An attitude or a manner adopted to mask one's true feelings or to protect one from perceived or real danger
Embarrassed, she withdrew into a shell.
Shell
A set of electron orbitals having nearly the same energy and sharing the same first quantum number.
Shell
Any of the stable states of other particles or collections of particles (such as the nucleons in an atomic nucleus) at a given energy or small range of energies.
Shell
A usually sleeveless and collarless, typically knit blouse.
Shell
A thin, usually waterproof or windproof outer garment for the upper body.
Shell
(Computers) A program that works with the operating system as a command processor, used to enter commands and initiate their execution.
Shell
A company or corporation created by a second company or corporation for the purposes of facilitating a particular transaction, especially one that is intended to be concealed.
Shell
To remove the shell of; shuck
Shell oysters.
Shell
To remove from a shell
Shell peas.
Shell
To separate the kernels of (corn) from the cob.
Shell
To fire shells at; bombard.
Shell
To defeat decisively.
Shell
(Baseball) To hit the pitches of (a pitcher) hard and with regularity
Shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning.
Shell
To shed or become free of a shell.
Shell
To look for or collect shells, as on a seashore
Spent the day shelling on Cape Cod.
Shell
A hard external covering of an animal.
Shell
The calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates.
In some mollusks, as the cuttlefish, the shell is concealed by the animal's outer mantle and is considered internal.
Genuine mother-of-pearl buttons are made from sea shells.
Shell
(by extension) Any mollusk having such a covering.
Shell
(entomology) The exoskeleton or wing covers of certain insects.
Shell
The conjoined scutes that constitute the "shell" (carapace) of a tortoise or turtle.
Shell
The overlapping hard plates comprising the armor covering the armadillo's body.
Shell
The hard calcareous covering of a bird egg.
Shell
One of the outer layers of skin of an onion.
The restaurant served caramelized onion shells.
Shell
(botany) The hard external covering of various plant seed forms.
Shell
The covering, or outside part, of a nut.
The black walnut and the hickory nut, both of the same Genus as the pecan, have much thicker and harder shells than the pecan.
Shell
A pod containing the seeds of certain plants, such as the legume Phaseolus vulgaris.
Shell
(in the plural) Husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is sometimes used as a substitute or adulterant for cocoa and its products such as chocolate.
Shell
(geology) The accreted mineral formed around a hollow geode.
Shell
(weaponry) The casing of a self-contained single-unit artillery projectile.
Shell
(weaponry) A hollow, usually spherical or cylindrical projectile fired from a siege mortar or a smoothbore cannon. It contains an explosive substance designed to be ignited by a fuse or by percussion at the target site so that it will burst and scatter at high velocity its contents and fragments. Formerly called a bomb.
Shell
(weaponry) The cartridge of a breechloading firearm; a load; a bullet; a round.
Shell
(architecture) Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in, as the shell of a house.
Shell
A garment, usually worn by women, such as a shirt, blouse, or top, with short sleeves or no sleeves, that often fastens in the rear.
Shell
A coarse or flimsy coffin; a thin interior coffin enclosed within a more substantial one.
Shell
(music) A string instrument, as a lyre, whose acoustical chamber is formed like a shell.
The first lyre may have been made by drawing strings over the underside of a tortoise shell.
Shell
(music) The body of a drum; the often wooden, often cylindrical acoustic chamber, with or without rims added for tuning and for attaching the drum head.
Shell
An engraved copper roller used in print works.
Shell
The thin coating of copper on an electrotype.
Shell
(nautical) The watertight outer covering of the hull of a vessel, often made with planking or metal plating.
Shell
The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.
Shell
(nautical) A light boat whose frame is covered with thin wood, impermeable fabric, or water-proofed paper; a racing shell or dragon boat.
Shell
(chemistry) A set of atomic orbitals that have the same principal quantum number.
Shell
(figuratively) The outward form independent of what is inside.
Shell
(figuratively) The empty outward form of someone or something.
The setback left him a mere shell; he was never the same again.
Shell
An emaciated person.
He's lost so much weight from illness; he's a shell of his former self.
Shell
A psychological barrier to social interaction.
Even after months of therapy he's still in his shell.
Shell
(computing) An operating system software user interface, whose primary purpose is to launch other programs and control their interactions; the user's command interpreter. Shell is a way to separate the internal complexity of the implementation of the command from the user. The internals can change while the user experience/interface remains the same.
Shell
(business) A legal entity that has no operations.
A shell corporation was formed to acquire the old factory.
Shell
A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.
Shell
(engineering) A gouge bit or shell bit.
Shell
(phonology) The onset and coda of a syllable.
Shell
A person's ear.
Can I have a quick word in your shell?
Shell
To remove the outer covering or shell of something.
Shell
To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery.
The guns shelled the enemy trenches.
Shell
(informal) To disburse or give up money, to pay. (Often used with out).
Shell
(intransitive) To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.
Shell
(intransitive) To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk.
Nuts shell in falling.
Wheat or rye shells in reaping.
Shell
To switch to a shell or command line.
Shell
To form shallow, irregular cracks (in a coating).
Shell
(topology) To form a shelling.
Shell
A hard outside covering, as of a fruit or an animal.
Think him as a serpent's egg, . . .And kill him in the shell.
Shell
The hard calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates. In some mollusks, as the cuttlefishes, it is internal, or concealed by the mantle. Also, the hard covering of some vertebrates, as the armadillo, the tortoise, and the like.
Shell
A hollow projectile, of various shapes, adapted for a mortar or a cannon, and containing an explosive substance, ignited with a fuse or by percussion, by means of which the projectile is burst and its fragments scattered. See Bomb.
Shell
The case which holds the powder, or charge of powder and shot, used with breechloading small arms.
Shell
Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in; as, the shell of a house.
Shell
A coarse kind of coffin; also, a thin interior coffin inclosed in a more substantial one.
Shell
An instrument of music, as a lyre, - the first lyre having been made, it is said, by drawing strings over a tortoise shell.
When Jubal struck the chorded shell.
Shell
An engraved copper roller used in print works.
Shell
The husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is often used as a substitute for chocolate, cocoa, etc.
Shell
The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.
Shell
A light boat the frame of which is covered with thin wood or with paper; as, a racing shell.
Shell
Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell;
Shell
A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.
Shell
A gouge bit or shell bit.
Shell
To strip or break off the shell of; to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; as, to shell nuts or pease; to shell oysters.
Shell
To separate the kernels of (an ear of Indian corn, wheat, oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk.
Shell
To throw shells or bombs upon or into; to bombard; as, to shell a town.
Shell
To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.
Shell
To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in falling.
Shell
To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as, wheat or rye shells in reaping.
Shell
Ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
Shell
The material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals
Shell
Hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
Shell
The hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts
Shell
The exterior covering of a bird's egg
Shell
A rigid covering that envelops an object;
The satellite is covered with a smooth shell of ice
Shell
A very light narrow racing boat
Shell
The housing or outer covering of something;
The clock has a walnut case
Shell
A metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)
Shell
The hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc
Shell
Use explosives on;
The enemy has been shelling us all day
Shell
Fall out of the pod or husk;
The corn shelled
Shell
Hit the pitches of hard and regularly;
He shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning
Shell
Look for and collect shells by the seashore
Shell
Come out better in a competition, race, or conflict;
Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship
We beat the competition
Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game
Shell
Remove from its shell or outer covering;
Shell the legumes
Shell mussels
Shell
Remove the husks from;
Husk corn
Shell
Principal energy levels in an atom.
The electrons in the third shell have higher energy than those in the second shell.
Shell
Denoted by principal quantum numbers (n).
The first shell (n=1) can hold up to 2 electrons.
Shell
Influences chemical properties and periodic table placement.
Elements in the same period have electrons in the same shell.
Shell
Represents the average distance of electrons from the nucleus.
Electrons in the fourth shell are farther from the nucleus than those in the second shell.
Common Curiosities
What is the electron capacity of a shell?
The maximum number of electrons a shell can hold is given by the formula 2n^2, where n is the principal quantum number.
What is the principal quantum number?
It is the number (n) that denotes the energy level or shell of an electron in an atom.
Can a shell contain multiple subshells?
Yes, higher shells contain multiple subshells. For example, the second shell (n=2) contains 2s and 2p subshells.
What is a shell in atomic physics?
A shell represents a principal energy level where electrons reside around an atom's nucleus, indicated by the principal quantum number (n).
How are shells denoted?
Shells are denoted by numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.), representing the principal quantum number (n).
How are subshells denoted?
Subshells are denoted by letters (s, p, d, f) and are based on the angular momentum quantum number (l).
What is the angular momentum quantum number?
It is the number (l) that denotes the type of subshell and shape of the electron orbital.
What is the significance of subshells in electron configuration?
Subshells provide detailed information about the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals, influencing chemical properties.
What is a subshell in atomic physics?
A subshell is a subdivision within a shell characterized by specific types of orbitals (s, p, d, f) and the angular momentum quantum number (l).
How do shells and subshells relate to the periodic table?
Shells correspond to periods, while subshells help explain the block structure (s, p, d, f blocks) of the periodic table.
What determines the shape of an electron orbital?
The shape of an orbital is determined by the type of subshell (s, p, d, f), which is characterized by the angular momentum quantum number (l).
What is the electron capacity of a subshell?
The capacity varies: s can hold 2 electrons, p can hold 6, d can hold 10, and f can hold 14 electrons.
Can subshells overlap between shells?
In terms of energy, some subshells can overlap. For example, the 4s subshell has lower energy than the 3d subshell.
Why are subshells important in chemistry?
They determine the chemical bonding and reactivity of elements by detailing how electrons are arranged in orbitals.
Do all shells have the same number of subshells?
No, the number of subshells increases with the shell number (n). The nth shell has n subshells.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
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Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
