A Gouy balance is used to determine the magnetic susceptibility of a substance. A strong electromagnet is placed next to the sample, which is on a balance. If the sample is paramagnetic, the mass reading of the balance will increase when the field is switched on. Based on their electron configurations, predict whether these elements are paramagnetic or diamagnetic.

Paramagnetic:
?
Diagmagnetic:
?

Elements:
Ar Be C P

Chemistry - DrBob222, Monday, November 5, 2012 at 12:35am
Write their electron configuration, then determine if they have unpaired electrons.
13Al = 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 2p1. Yes, it has 1 unpaired electron so it is paramagnetic.

Chemistry - Anonymous, Monday, November 5, 2012 at 10:10am
Is all the elements diamagnetic?

It is not an online exam. It is online homework.

Ar is a noble gas; therefore all of the electrons are paired. Diamagnetic

Be is 1s2 2s2 so all paired.
C is 1s2 2s2 2p2. Not all paired.
P is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3 not all paired.

To determine whether an element is paramagnetic or diamagnetic, you need to look at its electron configuration and determine if it has any unpaired electrons.

Let's look at the elements mentioned: Ar, Be, C, P.

For argon (Ar), the electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6. It has a completely filled electron shell, so all the electrons are paired. Therefore, Ar is diamagnetic.

For beryllium (Be), the electron configuration is 1s2 2s2. It has a completely filled electron shell, so all the electrons are paired. Therefore, Be is diamagnetic.

For carbon (C), the electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p2. It has two unpaired electrons in the 2p orbital, so C is paramagnetic.

For phosphorus (P), the electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p3. It has three unpaired electrons in the 3p orbital, so P is paramagnetic.

Therefore, the elements can be categorized as follows:
Paramagnetic: C, P
Diamagnetic: Ar, Be.

The answer I got was all of the elements are diamagnetic but it is wrong.

This looks like a online exam we cannot help you with test only homework questions but you have to try to get the answer yourself first