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Choose the Best Answer · Q2

Q.Which of the following d block element has half filled penultimate d sub shell as well as half filled valence sub shell?

a) Cr
b) Pd
c) Pt
d) none of these
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✓ Free question

Step 1. 'Penultimate' means second-to-outermost shell; for a 3d-series element this is the 3d sub-shell, while the 'valence' sub-shell is 4s.

Step 2. Chromium (Z=24) is one of the two well-known Aufbau exceptions: instead of the naively predicted [Ar]3d⁴4s², its ACTUAL configuration is [Ar]3d⁵4s¹, because promoting one electron from 4s into 3d reaches the extra-stable, exactly half-filled d⁵ configuration.

Step 3. Check both conditions: the penultimate (3d) sub-shell holds 5 out of a possible 10 electrons -- exactly half filled. The valence (4s) sub-shell holds 1 out of a possible 2 electrons -- exactly half filled. Both conditions are satisfied simultaneously.

Step 4. Eliminate the other options: Pd ([Kr]4d¹⁰5s⁰, an exceptional configuration with a FULLY filled 4d and an EMPTY 5s) does not have a half-filled valence sub-shell (5s holds 0, not 1, electrons). Pt ([Xe]4f¹⁴5d⁹6s¹) has a nearly-but-not-exactly half-filled penultimate 5d (9 of 10, not 5 of 10). So neither (b) nor (c) satisfies both conditions.

✓Final answer

(a) Cr

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