What is the difference between "exactly half filled" and "partially filled" orbitals?
Please don t start talking about the stability thing. Thanks
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answers:
say: exactly half filled is half of the container.
partially filled is, it could be less than half
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pisgahchemist say: Half filled orbitals.....

An orbital is a region in space which can be "occupied" by up to two electrons with opposite spin. The other three quantum numbers assigned to the two electrons in an orbital are the same, only the spin is different.

Do you mean like in the number of electrons in a sublevel?
s ...... 2 electrons = filled, 1 electrons = half-filled
p ...... 6 electrons = filled, 3 electrons = half-filled
d ...... 10 electrons = filled, 5 electrons = half-filled
f ...... 14 electrons = filled, 7 electrons = half-filled
The electrons in the half-filled orbitals will have one electron per orbital, and all the electrons in the singly occupied orbitals will have the same spin ... Hund's rule

A partially filled energy sublevel compared to a half-filled sublevel will have any number of electrons other than 1,3,5 or 7 (for s, p, d and f sublevels). In the partially filled orbitals, each orbital will have at least one electron, while some may have two electrons with opposite spin. The electrons in the singly occupied orbitals will have the same spin.
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busterwasmycat say: They come in pairs, and each level has a different number of pairs. Half filled would mean that each of the pairs in a level does not have any electron in its corresponding partner, but each of the pairs has one electron. Partly filled is anything that is not completely empty and not completely filled. One possible special instance of that is where each double-spot has one of its possible two occupants, or the level is exactly half filled.

Think of it as a hotel where there are equal numbers of rooms on each side of a corridor. Half filled would mean all of the rooms on one side are taken, but none of the rooms on the other side are used.
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lenpol7 say: The 'd' orbitals can have a maximum of 10 electrons.
If it is half filled it has exactly 5 electrons
It it is partially filled it cab have 1,2,3,4 6,7,8,9 electrons .
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John say: A "less partially filled" orbital?

I did mention "stability" once - but I think I got away with it!
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