Electron Configuration of Bromine

[Anonymous01]

I'm having issues looking at bromine...

Books say [Ar] 4s2 3d10 4p5

Wouldn't it be more stable to half fill the 4p5 with just 3 electrons and then do a full fill of the next subshell of 5s, making it 5s2?

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[Temperature101]

I'm having issues looking at bromine...

Books say [Ar] 4s2 3d10 4p5

Wouldn't it be more stable to half fill the 4p5 with just 3 electrons and then do a full fill of the next subshell of 5s, making it 5s2?

Bromide is not a transition metal...it's not even a metal. It's an halogen. Why would you think it would be more stable with a half p shell? Never seen that before...Maybe someone else can chime more on that...

 

[Anonymous01]

I thought that half filled and full filled subshells have special stability. In other words, a p3 would be more stable than a p4 or a p5, but a p6 would be more stable than p3, p4, and p5. My reasoning was that you could half fill the p (with just 3 electrons) and then full fill the s (with two electrons) to maintain that special stability.

From my understanding of your reply, are you saying that only the transition metals have special half-filled subshell stability?

 

[syoung]

the 5s orbital has a higher energy level than the 4p5.
So it would be LESS stable for you to put 2 electrions in the 5s orbital for Br rather than having it on the 4p5 level. Plus Br would be able to grab an electron and quickly turn to 4p6, as you rightly said (p6 is very very stable)

 

[Temperature101]

I thought that half filled and full filled subshells have special stability. In other words, a p3 would be more stable than a p4 or a p5, but a p6 would be more stable than p3, p4, and p5. My reasoning was that you could half fill the p (with just 3 electrons) and then full fill the s (with two electrons) to maintain that special stability.

From my understanding of your reply, are you saying that only the transition metals have special half-filled subshell stability?

From what I learned in TBR...Yes. If you can find another element that is not a transition metal and has half subshell stabily, then I am wrong.

 

[syoung]

and only special ones, like Cr and Cu. They make 4s1-3d5 and 4s1-3d10, instead of 4s2-3d4 and 4s2-3d9. their half shells on d are more stable by highjacking a 4s electron.

 

[Anonymous01]

Thanks for the quick replies guys! They really helped me understand what's going on!

 

[ilovemedi]

wrong thread. disregard.