O ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE: Identifying quantum mechanics errors in electron configurations Fix any errors in these proposed electron configurations: Number of electrons in atom: Proposed electron configuration: Is Ip” 2s2 2p’ 24″ 3, Jp [ Is’ 2s’ 2p” 3s? Jp 1 2′ 2p*3, Jp Explanation: Check
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Let’s first break down the proposed electron configurations and check for any errors.
1. Proposed Electron Configuration:
- Atom Identity: 1st atom, 2nd atom, etc.
- Proposed Electron Configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶
The general rule for writing electron configurations is that electrons fill atomic orbitals based on their energy levels. Electrons always fill the lowest available energy orbital first and follow the Pauli exclusion principle, Hund’s rule, and the Aufbau principle.
Electron Configuration Guidelines:
- 1s orbital: 2 electrons
- 2s orbital: 2 electrons
- 2p orbital: 6 electrons
- 3s orbital: 2 electrons
- 3p orbital: 6 electrons
Errors in the given electron configurations:
The confusion here lies in the proposed configurations you presented, such as:
- Proposed Configuration:
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶- This looks correct as it follows the correct orbital filling rules for the first 10 electrons (for elements such as neon and argon).
- Proposed Configuration (other):
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³- This is likely an error. The 3p³ suggests that the atom is in the phosphorus (P) group, which has 15 electrons. However, the configuration should be 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³, indicating 15 electrons.
Thus, fixing the error is to follow the proper sequence and keep orbitals consistent:
Correct Electron Configuration:
For Phosphorus (P, Z = 15), the correct configuration should be:
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p³, which corresponds to 15 electrons.
Summary of General Errors:
- 1. Energy level not following the Aufbau principle: The highest energy orbital should always be filled last.
- 2. Misallocation of electrons: If you have more or fewer electrons than required for the atom’s atomic number, this needs to be corrected.
- 3. Incorrect pairing in orbitals: Following Hund’s rule (electrons occupy degenerate orbitals singly first), any misallocation in orbital filling can lead to errors.
