The arrangements of electrons in atoms and ions are often written in simplified form, known as 'condensed electron configurations' - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2007 - Paper 1
Question 3
The arrangements of electrons in atoms and ions are often written in simplified form, known as 'condensed electron configurations'. For example, the condensed electr... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The arrangements of electrons in atoms and ions are often written in simplified form, known as 'condensed electron configurations' - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 3 - 2007 - Paper 1
Step 1
i. C
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Answer
The condensed electron configuration for carbon (C) is written as:
[He]2s22p2
This indicates that carbon has a total of 6 electrons with 2 electrons in the 2s subshell and 4 in the 2p subshell.
Step 2
ii. Fe
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Answer
The condensed electron configuration for iron (Fe) is as follows:
[Ar]4s23d6
This shows that iron has a total of 26 electrons, with 2 in the 4s subshell and 6 in the 3d subshell.
Step 3
iii. Fe^3+
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Answer
For the iron ion Fe^3+, the condensed electron configuration is:
[Ar]4s03d5
This reflects the loss of 3 electrons (2 from the 4s and 1 from the 3d subshell) resulting in a total of 23 electrons.
Step 4
b. State the group and period of the periodic table where an element with the electron configuration [Kr]4d^{10}5s^{2}5p^{6} is found.
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Answer
The given electron configuration corresponds to an element in Group 18 (noble gases) and Period 5. Both of these indicate that it is a noble gas element, specifically xenon.