Confirm that the experimentally observed electronic configuration of K, 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 is energetically more stable than the configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1.
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i know that it is energetically favorable for the electron to occupy the 4s state rather than the 3d orbital.but why?
Confirm that the experimentally observed electronic configuration of K, 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 is energetically more stable than the configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1
i know that it is energetically favorable for the electron to occupy the 4s state rather than the 3d orbital.but why?
The only thing I can tell you, without quantum mechanics and all the higher math that entails (which I can't do anyway), is that the 4s level is lower than the 3d when that electron goes into the 4s instead of the 3d.
i got it (thanks for the input)
i worked out the effective nuclear charge for both states and found out that for a 4s1 electron, Z* was 2 and for the 3d1, it was 1
thus, the 3d1 electron is shielded more than the 4s1 electron..so it could be said that the electron would occupy the 4s1 state than the 3d1 state because the electron is less shielded from the nucleus in this state thus it is easier for the electron to go there.
i'm a bit confused with the wording
I think an appropriate comment is that the effective nuclear charge is nothing more than a semi-empirical concept and empirical concepts actually don't explain anything. They are there and they work and they are based on experiment but by experiment we know where the electron goes anyway.
The experimental electronic configuration for potassium (K) is given as 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1. This configuration indicates that there are two electrons in the 1s orbital, two electrons in the 2s orbital, six electrons in the 2p orbital, two electrons in the 3s orbital, six electrons in the 3p orbital, and one electron in the 4s orbital.
On the other hand, the alternative configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1 suggests that there are also two electrons in the 1s orbital, two electrons in the 2s orbital, six electrons in the 2p orbital, two electrons in the 3s orbital, six electrons in the 3p orbital, and one electron in the 3d orbital.
To determine which configuration is energetically more stable, we need to consider the principles governing electron configuration and energy levels.
The aufbau principle states that electrons fill the available orbitals in order of increasing energy. In this case, both configurations follow this principle by filling the orbitals from lowest to highest energy.
The relative energy levels of the orbitals in an atom can be determined from the periodic table and the electron configuration rules. The 4s orbital is actually lower in energy than the 3d orbital, despite the fact that the 4s orbital is farther from the nucleus. This is due to the shielding effect caused by the inner shell electrons, which reduces the effective nuclear charge experienced by the 4s electrons.
As a result, the electron in the 4s orbital is more tightly bound to the nucleus and lower in energy compared to the electron in the 3d orbital. Therefore, the electronic configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 is energetically more stable than the configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d1.
To summarize, the reason why it is energetically favorable for the electron to occupy the 4s state rather than the 3d orbital is because the 4s orbital is lower in energy due to the shielding effect from the inner shell electrons. This results in the electron being more tightly bound to the nucleus in the 4s orbital, making it more stable.