Electron configurations of transition metal ions Zinc is an essential mineral of great biological and health…
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Question “Electron configurations of transition metal ions Zinc is an essential mineral of great biological and health…”
Electron configurations of transition metal ions
Zinc is an essential mineral of great biological and health
importance. In fact, it is the second most abundant transition
metal after iron in our body. Most exists as Zn2+ ion in active
site of enzymes, and they (more than 300) perform an array of
functions.
a. What is the electronic configuration of the Zn atom.
b. Here comes the irritating part in chemistry. Although the 3d
orbitals are placed higher in energy than the 4s orbital, when it
comes to losing electrons to from the Zn2+ ions, the 4s electrons
go first. If so, what is the electronic configuration of Zn2+
ion?
c. Using these rules, deduce the electronic configuration of
Co2+ d. Unpaired electrons generate a small magnetic field and are
responsible for the magnetic properties of materials. If an atom
(or molecule) has no unpaired electrons, it is called diamagnetic.
On the other hand, if it does have unpaired electrons, it is called
paramagnetic. Is Zn2+ diamagnetic or paramagnetic? How about
Co2+?
Answer
a.
Zn (Zinc), has an atomic number of 30. A neutral Zn atom contains 30 electrons, each with the following electronic configuration:
It can also be written using the noble gas core notation.
b.
is formed when Zn loses two of its outermost electrons. The electrons from 4s orbital are lost first, even though it has a lower energy than 3d orbital.
is
Or in the noble gas core notation
c.
Co(Cobalt), has an atomic number of 27.
The electronic configuration of Cobalt is therefore 27 electrons.
To form the Ion, we must remove two electrons of 4s orbital.
The electronic configuration of the Co2+ ion’s ions is
Or in Noble gas core notation
d.
The outermost orbital Zn2+ has 10 electrons.
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Therefore, all electrons in Zn2+ are paired. It is diamagnetic.
The outermost orbital of Co2+ has 7 electrons and is filled as follows:
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has three unpaired electrons. It must therefore be paramagnetic.
Conclusion
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