Hydrogen (H) is the element in the periodic table that has the simplest atomic orbitals.
Hydrogen has only one electron and consists of a single proton in its nucleus. The electron in a hydrogen atom is governed by the laws of quantum mechanics and can be described by a set of atomic orbitals.
The simplest atomic orbital in hydrogen is the 1s orbital. It is spherical in shape and has the lowest energy level. The principal quantum number (n) for the 1s orbital is 1, indicating that it is in the first energy level or shell of the atom. The 1s orbital can accommodate a maximum of two electrons, with opposite spins.
The other atomic orbitals in hydrogen, such as the 2s, 2p, 3s, and so on, become more complex as the principal quantum number (n) increases. These higher energy orbitals have different shapes, such as dumbbell-shaped (2p orbitals) or spherical with a node (2s orbital). However, the 1s orbital remains the simplest and most fundamental atomic orbital in hydrogen.
It is worth noting that while hydrogen has the simplest atomic orbitals, the atomic orbitals of other elements follow similar patterns but become more complex due to the presence of additional protons and electrons in their nuclei.