How many unpaired electrons does the Mn3+ ion contain?
To determine the number of unpaired electrons in the Mn3+ ion, we first need to determine the electron configuration of the ion.
The atomic number of manganese (Mn) is 25. To become Mn3+, it loses three electrons.
The electron configuration of a neutral Mn atom is: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s^2 3d^5
Since three electrons are removed to form the Mn3+ ion, the electron configuration becomes: 1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 3d^4
Now, to determine the number of unpaired electrons, we will look at the last partially filled subshell, which is 3d. The 3d subshell can hold a maximum of 10 electrons.
Therefore, in the 3d subshell, we have 4 electrons (3d^4). Since there are no other electrons in the subshell, all 4 electrons are unpaired.
Thus, the Mn3+ ion contains 4 unpaired electrons.