electron spin
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electron spin
When a question asks for the electron spin, do we always say that it can either be +½ or -½? Or if we know that the electron in question is an unpaired electron, we can say that it has an electron spin of +½?
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Re: electron spin
I think it can be either +½ or -½. The only thing you know is that if two electrons occupy the same orbital, their spins must be paired (one +½, one -½).
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Re: electron spin
If an orbital only has one electron and is in the ground state, I'm pretty sure the spin should be +½. It wouldn't be in the ground state if it had spin -½.
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Re: electron spin
Additionally, if you are drawing out the electron configuration diagram, make sure all unpaired electrons have the same spin!
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Re: electron spin
Furthermore, most questions of electron configuration won't ask for the electron spin since it is a 50/50 and you can't know more without more context. That being said, if you see a question where the answer for electron spin is something such as 0 or 1 you know it is wrong.
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