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Multiple Choice
Determine the electron arrangement for the Al3+ ion.
A
2-8-3
B
2-8-6
C
2-8
D
2-2-6
E
8
Verified step by step guidance
1
Start by identifying the electron configuration of a neutral aluminum (Al) atom. Aluminum has an atomic number of 13, which means it has 13 electrons in its neutral state. The electron configuration for Al is: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹.
Next, consider the Al³⁺ ion. The '3+' charge indicates that the aluminum atom has lost 3 electrons. To determine the electron configuration of Al³⁺, remove 3 electrons from the outermost shell of the neutral aluminum atom.
The electrons are removed from the highest energy level first, which is the 3p and 3s orbitals. Remove the 1 electron from the 3p orbital and 2 electrons from the 3s orbital.
After removing these 3 electrons, the electron configuration for Al³⁺ becomes: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶.
Finally, translate this electron configuration into the electron arrangement format, which is based on the number of electrons in each shell. For Al³⁺, the electron arrangement is 2-8, indicating 2 electrons in the first shell and 8 electrons in the second shell.