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Chapter 7: Problem 116

Which has the more negative electron affinity, the oxygen atom or the \(\mathrm{O}^{-}\) ion? Explain your answer.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The \(\mathrm{O}^{-}\) ion has a more negative electron affinity than the neutral oxygen atom. This is because adding an electron to the \(\mathrm{O}^{-}\) ion results in a more stable, completely-filled outer electron shell, which releases more energy and makes its electron affinity more negative.

Step by step solution

01

Determine the electron configurations for O and \(\mathrm{O}^-\)

Oxygen has 8 electrons in its neutral state. The electron configuration of a neutral oxygen atom is 1s²2s²2p⁴, with 2 electrons in the 1s orbital, 2 electrons in the 2s orbital, and 4 electrons in the 2p orbital. The oxygen ion with a -1 charge (\(\mathrm{O}^-\)) has an additional electron, so its electron configuration becomes 1s²2s²2p⁵.
02

Analyze the stability of the electron configurations

An element tends to be more stable when its outer electron shell is filled. In the case of oxygen and its ion, neither has a completely filled outer electron shell (which would be 2s²2p⁶). The oxygen atom has 4 electrons in its 2p orbital and \(\mathrm{O}^-\) has 5 electrons in the 2p orbital. When adding an electron to O and \(\mathrm{O}^-\), a neutral O will have its outer electron shell closer to being filled (with 5 electrons in the 2p orbital), while \(\mathrm{O}^-\) will have a completely filled electron shell (with 6 electrons in the 2p orbital).
03

Compare electron affinities

From the previous step, we know that the neutral oxygen atom has a half-filled electron shell and will become more stable as more electrons are added. When an electron is added to an oxygen atom, energy is released, making its electron affinity negative. Since adding an electron to the \(\mathrm{O}^-\) ion will make it completely stable as it fills the outer electron shell, more energy is released during this process. This means the electron affinity of the \(\mathrm{O}^-\) ion will be more negative than the electron affinity of the oxygen atom.
04

Conclude which one has more negative electron affinity

Based on the stability analysis and comparison of electron affinities, it can be concluded that the \(\mathrm{O}^{-}\) ion has the more negative electron affinity than the neutral oxygen atom. This is because adding an electron to the \(\mathrm{O}^{-}\) ion results in a more stable, completely-filled outer electron shell, thus releasing more energy and making its electron affinity more negative.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Write the expected ground-state electron configuration for the following. a. the element with one unpaired \(5 p\) electron that forms a covalent with compound fluorine b. the (as yet undiscovered) alkaline earth metal after radium c. the noble gas with electrons occupying \(4 f\) orbitals d. the first-row transition metal with the most unpaired electrons

Write the expected ground-state electron configuration for each of the following. a. the lightest halogen atom b. the alkali metal with only \(2 p\) and \(3 p\) electrons c. the Group \(3 \mathrm{~A}\) element in the same period as \(\mathrm{Sn}\) d. the nonmetallic elements in Group \(4 \mathrm{~A}\)

Assume that we are in another universe with different physical laws. Electrons in this universe are described by four quantum numbers with meanings similar to those we use. We will call these quantum numbers \(p, q, r\), and \(s .\) The rules for these quantum numbers are as follows: \(p=1,2,3,4,5, \ldots\) \(q\) takes on positive odd integers and \(q \leq p\) \(r\) takes on all even integer values from \(-q\) to \(+q\). (Zero is considered an even number.) \(s=+\frac{1}{2}\) or \(-\frac{1}{2}\) a. Sketch what the first four periods of the periodic table will look like in this universe. b. Wh?t are the atomic numbers of the first four elements you would expect to be least reactive? c. Give an example, using elements in the forst four rows, of ionic compounds with the formulas \(\mathrm{XY}, \mathrm{XY}_{2}, \mathrm{X}_{2} \mathrm{Y}, \mathrm{XY}_{3}\), and \(\mathrm{X}_{2} \mathrm{Y}_{3}\) d. How many electrons can have \(p=4, q=3 ?\) e. How many electrons can have \(p=3, q=0, r=0 ?\) f. How many electrons can have \(p=6\) ?

How many valence electrons do each of the following elements have, and what are the specific valence electrons for each element? a. \(\mathrm{Ca}\) b. \(\mathrm{O}\) c. element 117 d. In e. Ar f. \(\mathrm{Bi}\)

Order the atoms in each of the following sets from the least exothermic electron affinity to the most. a. \(\mathrm{N}, \mathrm{O}, \mathrm{F}\) b. \(\mathrm{Al}, \mathrm{Si}, \mathrm{P}\)
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