a) Why is the nuclear charge of \(\mathrm{Be}^{\prime \prime}+4^{\prime \prime}\) ? b) How many inner-shell electrons does Be have? c) How many valence electrons does Be have? d) Show how the core charge for Be was calculated. e) Based on your answers to CTQs \(1,3 \mathrm{c}\), and \(3 \mathrm{~d}\), what is the relationship between the number of valence electrons and the core charge of a neutral atom?

Short Answer

Expert verified
a) The nuclear charge of \(Be^{++}\) is +4, directly determined by its proton number. b) Be has 2 inner-shell electrons. c) Be also has 2 valence electrons. d) The core charge for Be is calculated as +2 (nuclear charge - inner shell electrons). e) For a neutral atom, the core charge equals the number of its valence electrons.

Step by step solution

01

Identify Nuclear Charge

The nuclear charge of \(Be^{++}\) is +4. This comes directly from the number of protons in the atomic nucleus, which for Beryllium is 4.
02

Determine Number of Inner-shell Electrons

Beryllium (Be) has an atomic number of 4, which means it contains 4 electrons in a neutral atom. Beryllium's electron configuration is \(1s^2 2s^2\). The inner shell (K shell) of Be has 2 electrons, so Be has 2 inner-shell electrons.
03

Determine Number of Valence Electrons

The number of valence electrons is determined by the number of electrons present in the outermost electron shell, also known as valence shell. In the case of Beryllium, the valence shell is the 2nd shell, which contains 2 electrons, thus Be has 2 valence electrons.
04

Calculate Core Charge

Core charge can be calculated by the following equation: Core Charge = Nuclear charge - inner shell electrons = 4 protons - 2 inner-shell electrons = +2.
05

Determine the Relationship

Analysing the answers from above, for a neutral atom like Beryllium, the core charge (+2) is equal to the number of valence electrons (2). Therefore, the relationship for a neutral atom is: its core charge equals the number of its valence electrons.

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