rotational quantum number

rotational quantum number

[rō′tā·shən·əl ′kwän·təm ‚nəm·bər] (physical chemistry) A quantum number J characterizing the angular momentum associated with the motion of the nuclei of a molecule; the angular momentum is (h/ 2π) √(J (J +1)) and the largest component is (h /2π) J, where h is Planck's constant.