Textbook Question
Look at the location in the periodic table of elements A, B, C, and D. What is the electron configuration of the transition metal in each of the following ions?
(c) C3+
(d) DO42-
24. Transition Metals and Coordination Compounds
Electron Configurations of Transition Metals
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Which of the following is the correct electron configuration for the Zr²⁺ ion?
A
[Kr] 4d⁴
B
[Kr] 5s² 4d²
C
[Kr] 5s¹ 4d¹
D
[Kr] 4d²
Verified step by step guidance1
Identify the atomic number of zirconium (Zr), which is 40. This means a neutral Zr atom has 40 electrons.
Write the electron configuration for a neutral Zr atom. It is: [Kr] 5s² 4d².
Determine the number of electrons to remove for the Zr²⁺ ion. Since it is a 2+ ion, remove 2 electrons from the neutral atom.
Remove electrons starting from the outermost shell. For Zr, the 5s orbital is higher in energy than the 4d orbital, so remove the 2 electrons from the 5s orbital.
After removing 2 electrons from the 5s orbital, the electron configuration for Zr²⁺ becomes: [Kr] 4d².
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