TPRH Chem P5 Q6

[cartman1980]

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Question asks electronic structure for excited copper (I) ion?

I said, Cu is [Ar]4s13d10, so Cu+ is [Ar]3d10. Answer says [Ar]3d94p1.

Huh?

 

[MT Headed]

You correctly figured out the electron configuration for an ordinary Cu+ ion. All cations lose an electron from their highest shells first.

Now you need to find an answer that excites an electron from this ordinary low energy state to a higher energy state. Sending a 3d electron into 4p certainly qualifies!

 

[cartman1980]

I thought ion was created, to begin with, because it was excited from base Cu config

 

[MT Headed]

I can see how that would cause some confusion. You could excite a copper atom to the point that an electron leaves entirely, but at that point you would only have a ground state copper(I) ion.

This question was trying to combine two concepts, the idea that the 4s electron of ground state copper will leave instead of the 3d electron in order to create a ground state copper(I) ion, and that an excited version of substance X has the same electrons but in higher energy shells or subshells than the ground state of substance X.

As long as you understand those ideas, you are good to go. This is why we do practice problems!