The hot, glowing gases around the Sun, the corona, can reach millions of degrees Celsius, temperatures high enough to remove many electrons from gaseous atoms. Iron ions with charges as high as \(14+\) have been observed in the corona. Which ions from \(\mathrm{Fe}^{+}\) to \(\mathrm{Fe}^{14+}\) are paramagnetic? Which would be most strongly attracted to a magnetic field?

Paramagnetic materials are substances that have one or more unpaired electrons. Unlike diamagnetic materials where all electrons are paired, paramagnetic materials are attracted to external magnetic fields. This attraction occurs because unpaired electrons generate a magnetic moment. When an external magnetic field is applied, these magnetic moments align with the field, causing the material to be drawn towards it.
Examples of paramagnetic materials include certain metals like aluminum, as well as rare earth elements. In the context of iron, various iron ions show different degrees of paramagnetism based on their electron configurations and the number of unpaired electrons they possess.

Electron configuration describes the arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion across different energy levels and orbitals. For a neutral iron (Fe) atom, which has an atomic number of 26, the electron configuration is \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^6\).
When an electron is removed, for instance in the formation of an iron ion like \(\text{Fe}^+\), the electron configuration changes by removing the electron from the outermost shell first, which follows the order of \(4s\) before \(3d\). As more electrons are removed, the configuration changes and can be represented sequentially all the way up to \(\text{Fe}^{14+}\).

The attraction of ions to a magnetic field depends on their electron configuration. Ions with unpaired electrons experience a stronger attraction due to their magnetic moments.
For iron ions, subtracting electrons affects their paramagnetism. Ions like \(\text{Fe}^{2+}\) with a \(3d^6\) configuration have 4 unpaired electrons, while \(\text{Fe}^{3+}\) has a \(3d^5\) configuration with 5 unpaired electrons, increasing their paramagnetic nature.

• More unpaired electrons = stronger attraction

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Therefore, in higher charged states, the paramagnetic properties adjust accordingly based on the number of unpaired electrons.

Iron ions vary significantly in their electron configurations and magnetic properties. Starting from neutral iron, \(Fe\), with \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^6\), removing one electron results in \(\text{Fe}^+\) (\(3d^5\)) and so on.
The configurations change progressively:

• \text{Fe}^{2+}: \(3d^6\) - 4 unpaired electrons
• \text{Fe}^{3+}: \(3d^5\) - 5 unpaired electrons
• \text{Fe}^{4+}: \(3d^4\) - 4 unpaired electrons

The goal is to identify paramagnetic ions i.e., those with unpaired electrons.
Higher charged ions \(\text{Fe}^{14+}\) will eventually lose most of their electrons, altering their paramagnetic properties.

The Sun's corona, consisting of extremely hot gases, reaches temperatures up to millions of degrees Celsius. Such high temperatures provide energy to strip electrons from atoms, producing highly charged ions like \(\text{Fe}^{14+}\). Paramagnetism in these ions can remain significant due to unpaired electrons.
In the corona, these ionized iron atoms play a crucial role in the Sun’s magnetic properties. Understanding these ions' configurations is vital for studying solar phenomena and magnetic fields associated with coronal temperatures.

• High temperatures = high ionization

, affecting electron configurations and magnetic behaviors of ions.