Question

State whether these elements and ions are paramagnetic or diamagnetic and state it's possible reasons.

A) Mg Atom.
B) La3+ ion.
C) Hg atom.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To determine whether the given elements and ions are paramagnetic or diamagnetic, we need to look at their electron configurations and the presence of unpaired electrons.

### A) Mg Atom
- **Electron Configuration**: The magnesium atom (Mg) has an atomic number of 12, which gives it the electron configuration of \(1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2\).
- **Magnetic Behavior**: Since all electrons in Mg are paired in its orbitals, it has no unpaired electrons.
- **Conclusion**: **Diamagnetic**. The absence of unpaired electrons leads to no net magnetic moment.

### B) La³⁺ Ion
- **Electron Configuration**: The lanthanum atom (La) has an atomic number of 57, with the electron configuration of \( [Xe] 6s^2 5d^1 \). When it loses three electrons to form La³⁺, it loses the two 6s electrons and the one 5d electron, leading to an electron configuration of \( [Xe] \).
- **Magnetic Behavior**: Since the La³⁺ ion has no unpaired electrons (all electrons are paired in the noble gas configuration), it does not exhibit a net magnetic moment.
- **Conclusion**: **Diamagnetic**. The lack of unpaired electrons results in no magnetic behavior.

### C) Hg Atom
- **Electron Configuration**: The mercury atom (Hg) has an atomic number of 80, with the electron configuration of \( [Xe] 4f^{14} 5d^{10} 6s^2 \).
- **Magnetic Behavior**: In its ground state, all the electrons in the mercury atom are paired. The 5d subshell is fully filled with 10 electrons and the 6s subshell has 2 paired electrons.
- **Conclusion**: **Diamagnetic**. The presence of only paired electrons means there is no unpaired electron to contribute to magnetic properties.

### Summary
- **A)** Mg Atom: **Diamagnetic** (all electrons paired)
- **B)** La³⁺ Ion: **Diamagnetic** (all electrons paired)
- **C)** Hg Atom: **Diamagnetic** (all electrons paired)

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