Does the minimization of electron-electron repulsions correlate with Hund's rule?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Yes, the minimization of electron-electron repulsions correlates with Hund's rule. Hund's rule focuses on achieving a lower energy state by distributing electrons among orbitals in a way that reduces electron-electron repulsion. The rule states that electrons fill the orbitals with parallel spins and remain unpaired, leading to less repulsion and thus a lower energy state.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Electron-Electron Repulsion

Electron-electron repulsion is the force between electrons when they are in the same or neighboring orbitals. The more electrons are in an orbital, the more the force between them repels, increasing the energy of the system. So, minimizing electron-electron repulsion should lead to a lower energy state.
02

Hund's Rule

Hund's rule mainly comprises three rules: 1. Electrons fill the orbitals of a subshell, each with the same spin, before any orbital starts filling up with a second electron (parallel spin). This is because electrons in different orbitals with parallel spin experience less repulsion. 2. No orbital can hold more than two electrons. When an orbital is occupationally complete, the electron pair must have opposite spins. 3. If a sublevel has more than one orbital, as in the case of p, d, or f orbitals, the ground state electron configuration has the maximum number of unpaired electrons, with each having parallel spins.
03

Comparing Hund's Rule with Electron-Electron Repulsion Minimization

According to Hund's rule, the lowest energy state occurs when electrons fill the orbitals with parallel spins and are unpaired. This happens because electrons in different orbitals with parallel spin experience less repulsion, which is in line with minimizing electron-electron repulsion. Therefore, when Hund's rule is followed, the electron-electron repulsion is minimized, resulting in a lower energy state.
04

Conclusion

The minimization of electron-electron repulsions correlates with Hund's rule, as both are focused on achieving a lower energy state by reducing repulsion between electrons occupying orbitals. Minimizing electron-electron repulsion by applying Hund's rule ensures that the electrons are distributed among the orbitals in a way that leads to the lowest energy state.

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