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Choose the Best Answer · Q15

Q.The electronic configuration of the atom having maximum difference in first and second ionisation energies is

(a) 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s¹
(b) 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s²
(c) 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3s², 3p⁶, 4s¹
(d) 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3p¹
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Step 1. Option (a) is 1s22s22p63s11s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^1 -- sodium, an alkali metal (Group 1). IE1 easily removes its single 3s electron (achieving a stable Ne core); IE2 has to break into that very stable, completely filled Ne core -- a huge jump. This gives alkali metals the largest known IE1/IE2 differences of any group (Na: IE1 = 496, IE2 = 4562 kJ mol-1, a roughly 9-fold jump).

Step 2. Option (b) is 1s22s22p63s21s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 -- magnesium. Both IE1 and IE2 remove electrons from the still-valence 3s23s^2 subshell, so the jump between them, while present, is far smaller than sodium's. …

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