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Chapter 7: Problem 105

A certain oxygen atom has the electron configuration 1$s^{2} 2 s^{2} 2 p_{x}^{2} 2 p_{y}^{2} .$ How many unpaired electrons are present? Is this an excited state of oxygen? In going from this state to the ground state, would energy be released or absorbed?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The given electron configuration (\(1s^2 2s^2 2p_x^2 2p_y^2\)) represents an excited state of an oxygen atom with no unpaired electrons. When transitioning to the ground state of oxygen (\(1s^2 2s^2 2p^4\)), energy will be released.

Step by step solution

01

Analyze Electron Configuration

The given electron configuration for the oxygen atom is \(1s^2 2s^2 2p_x^2 2p_y^2\). This tells us that the oxygen atom has two electrons in the 1s orbital, two electrons in the 2s orbital, and two electrons each in the 2p_x and 2p_y orbitals.
02

Calculate the Number of Unpaired Electrons

In order to calculate the number of unpaired electrons, we must analyze the electron configuration of the oxygen atom. Since all the electrons in the 1s and 2s orbitals are paired, there are no unpaired electrons within those orbitals. Furthermore, the 2p_x and 2p_y orbitals both have two electrons, indicating that all electrons are paired. Therefore, there are 0 unpaired electrons in this configuration.
03

Determine if this is an Excited State of Oxygen

The ground state electron configuration of an oxygen atom is \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^4\). In comparison to the given electron configuration \(1s^2 2s^2 2p_x^2 2p_y^2\), we see that there is a discrepancy in the 2p orbitals. Oxygen should have two unpaired electrons in its 2p orbital, while the given configuration has all electrons paired in the 2p_x and 2p_y orbitals. This indicates that the given configuration is an excited state of the oxygen atom.
04

Determine if Energy is Released or Absorbed in Going to the Ground State

When an atom transitions from an excited state to the ground state, energy is released in the form of a photon. In the given configuration, the oxygen atom needs to go from its excited state to the ground state to achieve stability. As a result, energy will be released in the transition from the given electron configuration to the ground state configuration. In conclusion, the given electron configuration represents an excited state of an oxygen atom with 0 unpaired electrons. When transitioning to the ground state, the oxygen atom would release energy.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

An ionic compound of potassium and oxygen has the empirical formula KO. Would you expect this compound to be potassium(II) oxide or potassium peroxide? Explain.

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Consider the following ionization energies for aluminum: $$\begin{array}{c}{\operatorname{Al}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Al}^{+}(g)+\mathrm{e}^{-} \quad I_{1}=580 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}} \\\ {\mathrm{Al}^{+}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Al}^{2+}(g)+\mathrm{e}^{-} \quad I_{2}=1815 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}} \\ {\mathrm{Al}^{2+}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Al}^{3+}(g)+\mathrm{e}^{-} \quad I_{3}=2740 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}} \\ {\mathrm{Al}^{3+}(g) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Al}^{4+}(g)+\mathrm{e}^{-} \quad I_{4}=11,600 \mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}}\end{array}$$ a. Account for the trend in the values of the ionization energies. b. Explain the large increase between \(I_{3}\) and \(I_{4}\)

How many unpaired electrons are present in each of the following in the ground state: $\mathrm{O}, \mathrm{O}^{+}, \mathrm{O}^{-}, \mathrm{Os}, \mathrm{Zr}, \mathrm{S}, \mathrm{F}, \mathrm{Ar}$ ?
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