What is the ground-state electron configuration of a Copper atom (atomic number Z = 29)? (Hard)
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. [Ar] 3d^10 4s^1
- Step 1: Completely filled d-subshells possess maximum exchange symmetry and spherical stability. Step 2. Promoting one 4s electron into the 3d subshell yields the stable ground state [Ar] 3d^10 4s^1. Answer: [Ar] 3d^10 4s^1. Why not the others: [Ar] 3d^9 4s^2 is less stable; 3d^8 4s^2 4p^1 excites to 4p; 3d^10 4p^1 skips the lower energy 4s orbital.
Practise more Atomic Structure, Periodic Properties and Chemical Bonding.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Higher Secondary Certificate Examination (Bangladesh) mock tests.
More Atomic Structure, Periodic Properties and Chemical Bonding questions
- What are the allowed values of the magnetic quantum number m_l for an orbital with azimuthal quantum number l = 2 (d-subshell)?
- What is the maximum number of electrons that can be accommodated in a principal energy shell with principal quantum number n?
- What is the ground-state electron configuration of a Chromium atom (atomic number Z = 24)? (Hard)
- Which spectral line series of the hydrogen atomic spectrum falls in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum?
- Which spectral series of atomic hydrogen transitions terminates at the ground state n1 = 1 and falls in the ultraviolet region?
- According to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, what is the maximum number of electrons in an atom that can have the exact same set of all four…