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Electron Configuration and Classification Guide

Chemistry 1 chapter 7 and 8 extra questions

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4 views15 pages

Electron Configuration and Classification Guide

Chemistry 1 chapter 7 and 8 extra questions

Uploaded by

s141394
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Example 1

An atom of a certain element has 15 electrons. Without


consulting a periodic table, answer the following
questions:

a) What is the ground-state electron configuration of the


element?

b) How should the element be classified?

c) Is the element diamagnetic or paramagnetic?

© McGraw-Hill Education. 8-1


Strategy
a) We refer to the building-up principle discussed in
Section 7.9 and start writing the electron configuration with
principal quantum number n = [Link] continuing upward until
all the electrons are accounted for.

b) What are the electron configuration characteristics of


representative elements? transition elements? noble gases?
ns1-2 or ns2np1-5 ns1-2 (n-1d1-10) ns2np6
c) Examine the pairing scheme of the electrons in the outermost
shell. What determines whether an element is diamagnetic or
paramagnetic?
Hund’s rule & Orbital diagram

© McGraw-Hill Education. 8-2


Solution
a) We know that for n = 1 we have a 1s orbital (2 electrons); for n = 2
we have a 2s orbital (2 electrons) and three 2p orbitals (6
electrons); for n = 3 we have a 3s orbital (2 electrons). The number
of electrons left is 15 – 12 = 3 and these three electrons are placed
in the 3p orbitals. The electron configuration is
1s 2 2s 2 2 p 6 3s 2 3 p 3
b) Because the 3p subshell is not completely filled, this is a
representative element. Based on the information given, we cannot
say whether it is a metal, a nonmetal, or a metalloid.

c) According to Hund’s rule, the three electrons in the 3p orbitals have


parallel spins (three unpaired electrons). Therefore, the element is
paramagnetic.

© McGraw-Hill Education. 8-3


Example 2: Write the electron
configuration of Fe, Fe2+, Fe3+
When cation is formed from an atom of a transition metal, electron
are always removed first from the ns orbital and then from (n-1)d
orbitals

Electron remove first from nS orbital

Fe : [Ar]4s 2 3d 6
Fe2  : [Ar]4s 0 3d 6 or [Ar]3d 6
Fe3  : [Ar]4s 0 3d 5 or [Ar]3d 5

Then remove from (n-1) d

© McGraw-Hill Education. 8-4


Example 3

Use the VSEPR model to predict the shape, angles and polarity
of the following molecules and ions:

a  AsH3

b OF2

c  AlCl4–

d  I3–

e  C2H4
© McGraw-Hill Education. 10-5
Questions from textbook and old exams

© McGraw-Hill Education. 10-6


Solutions

© McGraw-Hill Education. 10-7


Examples:
Which is the best Lewis structure?

Common questions

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An element with an incomplete 3p subshell would be classified as a representative element. This classification is based on the characteristic that representative elements have partially filled s and p subshells.

The building-up principle involves starting with the lowest energy level and filling up electrons according to their increasing energy order until all electrons are accounted for. For an atom with 15 electrons, we begin with n=1, filling the 1s orbital (2 electrons), moving to n=2, filling the 2s orbital (2 electrons) and the three 2p orbitals (6 electrons), and then to n=3, filling the 3s orbital (2 electrons). The remaining 3 electrons fill the 3p orbitals, resulting in the ground-state configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³.

In transition metals, electrons are removed first from the ns orbital before the (n-1)d orbitals when forming cations because the ns orbital, although filled after the (n-1)d orbital, is higher in energy and more exposed. Therefore, ns electrons are lost more readily during ionization.

The VSEPR model predicts the shape of AlCl₃ based on the electron pair repulsion around the central aluminum atom. With three bonding pairs and no lone pairs, AlCl₃ forms a trigonal planar shape. Since the shape is symmetrical, the molecule is non-polar as the dipoles cancel out.

An element is considered paramagnetic when it has unpaired electrons. The presence of these unpaired electrons results in magnetic dipole moments that are not aligned, causing the atom to be attracted to external magnetic fields. In this case, having three unpaired electrons in the 3p orbitals fulfills this criterion.

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