Ch.6 - Electronic Structure of Atoms

Brown - Chemistry: The Central Science 15th Edition

Brown15th EditionChemistry: The Central ScienceISBN: 9780137542970Not the one you use?Change textbook

Brown 15th Edition

Ch.6 - Electronic Structure of Atoms

Problem 80b

Chapter 6, Problem 80b

The following electron configurations represent excited states. Identify the element and write its ground-state condensed electron configuration. (b) 3Ar44s13d104p25p1

Name: Chemistry: The Central Science
Author: Brown
ISBN: 9780137542970

Verified step by step guidance

Identify the given electron configuration: \([\text{Ar}]4s^13d^{10}4p^25p^1\).

Recognize that this configuration is an excited state because electrons are in higher energy levels than expected for the ground state.

Determine the total number of electrons by adding the electrons in the configuration: 18 (from Ar) + 1 (from 4s) + 10 (from 3d) + 2 (from 4p) + 1 (from 5p) = 32 electrons.

Identify the element with 32 electrons, which is Germanium (Ge).

Write the ground-state electron configuration for Germanium: \([\text{Ar}]4s^23d^{10}4p^2\).

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Electron Configuration

Electron configuration describes the distribution of electrons in an atom's orbitals. It is typically represented in a notation that indicates the energy levels and sublevels occupied by electrons. Understanding how to read and write electron configurations is essential for identifying the element and determining its ground state.

Excited State vs. Ground State

The ground state of an atom is its lowest energy configuration, where electrons occupy the lowest available energy levels. An excited state occurs when one or more electrons have absorbed energy and moved to higher energy levels. Recognizing the difference between these states is crucial for converting an excited state configuration back to its ground state.

Condensed Electron Configuration

Condensed electron configuration is a shorthand notation that simplifies the representation of an atom's electron arrangement by using the nearest noble gas to represent core electrons. This method makes it easier to visualize and write configurations, especially for larger elements, and is particularly useful when identifying the ground state of an element from its excited state.

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Condensed Electron Configuration

Related Practice

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Write the condensed electron configurations for the following atoms and indicate how many unpaired electrons each has: (f) Lu.

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Consider the two waves shown here, which we will consider to represent two electromagnetic radiations: (b) What is the frequency of wave A?

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Identify the specific element that corresponds to each of the following electron configurations and indicate the number of unpaired electrons for each: (d) 3Kr45s24d105p4.

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Textbook Question

Certain elements emit light of a specific wavelength when they are burned or heated in a non-luminous flame. Historically, chemists used such emission wavelengths to determine whether specific elements were present in a sample. Some characteristic wavelengths for a few of the elements are given in the following table:

Ag 328.1 nm Fe 372.0 nm

Au 267.6 nm K 404.7 nm

Ba 455.4 nm Mg 285.2 nm

Ca 422.7 nm Na 589.6 nm

Cu 324.8 nm Ni 341.5 nm

(c) When burned, a sample of an unknown substance is found to emit light of frequency 6.58 * 1014 s-1. Which of these elements is probably in the sample?

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Textbook Question

Consider the two waves shown here, which we will consider to represent two electromagnetic radiations: (a) What is the wavelength of wave A?

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Textbook Question

Identify the specific element that corresponds to each of the following electron configurations and indicate the number of unpaired electrons for each: (a) 1s²2s² (b) 1s²2s²2p⁴

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