Ground State
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Ground State
When a question asks to find the ground-state electron configuration of an atom, does that mean to ignore the charge? For example, if I was asked to find the ground-state e- configuration of Al^3+ , would I simply write the neutral configuration for Al? Thank you!
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Re: Ground State
Hello!
You don't ignore the charge. The charge helps you know how many electrons there actually are relative to the neutral atom. The ground-state term means that no electrons are excited so they remain in the lowest energy level possible. Therefore, you don't ignore the charge. I hope this helps!
You don't ignore the charge. The charge helps you know how many electrons there actually are relative to the neutral atom. The ground-state term means that no electrons are excited so they remain in the lowest energy level possible. Therefore, you don't ignore the charge. I hope this helps!
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Re: Ground State
No! the ground state simply means no electrons are excited, but the number of electrons (cation/anion) doesn't change. However, it is generally safest to start by writing the electron configuration for the neutral atom, then adding/subtracting electrons to get the ground state electron configuration for the desired ion.
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Re: Ground State
Ground state refers to a state in which no electrons are excited, so the electron configuration will be of the neutral atom.
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Re: Ground State
You have to include the charge at all times or else it wouldn’t be considered the same electron
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Re: Ground State
When it asks the ground state of an ion, you have to consider the charge of the atom. If the charge is n+, you have to get rid of n amount of electrons, and if the charge is n-, you have to add n amount of electrons on the configuration. For example, if it is Al^3+, the electron configuration of the neutral Al is [Ne] 3s^2 3p^1, Al^3+ ground state configuration would just be [Ne]. If it is Al^2-, the ground state configuration would be [Ne] 3s^2 3p^3.
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Re: Ground State
Definitely don't ignore the charge. But someone else also mentioned something that helps me a lot, is to write the electron configuration of the neutral atom and then add or subtract electrons depending on the charge.
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Re: Ground State
No you don’t ignore the charge. The charge is showing you how many electrons are gained or given. It’s an important factor
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