Which of the subshells in the electron configuration of Hf behave as core orbitals
Check all that apply
1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d
Hf is [Xe]4f14 5d2 6s2
All but 5d2 and 6s2 are core.
http://www.webelements.com/hafnium/atoms.html
Well, let me put on my electron costume and tell you the answer. The subshells that behave as core orbitals in the electron configuration of Hf are:
1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p
So those are the ones you should check! Don't worry, they won't be too shellfish about it.
The core orbitals in the electron configuration of Hf are the subshells that are filled before the valence electrons. The core electron configuration for Hafnium (Hf) is:
[1s^2] [2s^2 2p^6] [3s^2 3p^6] [4s^2 3d^10 4p^6] [5s^2 4d^10 5p^6] [6s^2 4f^14 5d^2]
The subshells that behave as core orbitals are:
1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p
Core orbitals are the innermost electron orbitals in an atom. These orbitals are filled before the valence orbitals and do not participate directly in chemical bonding.
To determine which subshells behave as core orbitals in the electron configuration of Hafnium (Hf), we need to refer to the periodic table and find the noble gas that comes before Hafnium.
In this case, the noble gas before Hafnium is Xenon (Xe), which has the electron configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶.
To obtain the electron configuration of Hafnium (Hf), we add the necessary electrons:
Hf: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d².
Now, to determine the core orbitals, we look at the subshells that are filled up until the noble gas configuration (Xenon):
Core orbitals in Hf: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p.
Therefore, the subshells that behave as core orbitals in the electron configuration of Hf are 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, and 5p.