Dumb O chem Question

[happyana]

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Ok, so this relates to the Aufbau principle. If you had P^2+, would the electrons leave the 3s orbital before leaving the the 3p orbital? Can someone explain this concept? Does this type of thing only happen when the orbitals are half-filled? So when you have Cl^2+ then the electrons would leave the 3p orbital? Or when you have Fe^+2, then the electrons would leave the 3d orbitals?

 

[Doc Numbskull]

Ok, so this relates to the Aufbau principle. If you had P^2+, would the electrons leave the 3s orbital before leaving the the 3p orbital? Can someone explain this concept? Does this type of thing only happen when the orbitals are half-filled? So when you have Cl^2+ then the electrons would leave the 3p orbital? Or when you have Fe^+2, then the electrons would leave the 3d orbitals?

Well, I'm not really sure if this is what your asking so forgive me if I'm off base with this. When you remove electrons from an atom, you remove them so that the lowest energy conformation can be retained by the atom. most atoms have electrons removed from their highest energy level. However, the transition metals that have specifically 5 or 10 electrons in their d subshell are unusually stable and that stability makes their d subshell actaully lower in energy than their s subshell. That change causes the electrons to be removed from their s subshell instead of their d subshell. That's why elements like Zn and Mn as well as all others in their respective groups ionize to a 2+ ions. The electrons in their d subshells are too low in energy to be removed. Other transition metals ionize in order to obtain either 5 or 10 electrons in their d subshell. Again, I think that was what you were asking, so I'm sorry if I miss-read your post.

 

[happyana]

thanks! so this doesn't relate to elements ending in the p orbitals then? like if you have a all orbitals in the p subshel partially filled, then if electrons had to be taken off they would be taken off starting from the p orbital or the s orbital?