Which Elements have Expanded Octets
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Which Elements have Expanded Octets
How can we tell which elements have expanded octets? Is there a specific region of the periodic table that tells us this, or is it based on the number of valence electrons each element has? Do we memorize them, or is there a rule or technique to figure it out?
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Re: Which Elements have Expanded Octets
The octet rule applies to some of the elements utilizing the d-orbitals found in the third principal energy level and beyond. Common examples of these are sulfur (S), silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), and chlorine (Cl). I'm not too sure if there's a better way to figuring out why this is but I think it may just be easier to recognize those common ones.
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Re: Which Elements have Expanded Octets
Do you know if we will need to know only specific ones or the trick to determine the elements with expanded octets for the final exam? Because I am still unsure how to determine this.
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Re: Which Elements have Expanded Octets
Elements in the third period and below are able to have expanded octets. This goes back to our quantum unit where we learned that l can be one less than n and this l corresponds to wave function shape. When n is 3, l can be equal to 2. This means that these elements can have electrons in d-orbitals, even if in the ground state they would not.
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Re: Which Elements have Expanded Octets
Hello! So once you reach the 3d block this is when you can start having expanded octets and this is because the number of valence electrons rises. This d orbital is empty leaving room for you to add more electrons leading to an expansion of the octet rule. Hope this helps.
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