103k views
3 votes
Why does silver form a +1 ion in light of the following SPDF notation?

a. Silver loses its 4th orbital and 3s electrons to reflect the electron configuration of neon.
b. Silver loses its one 3S electron to reflect a pseudo-noble-gas electron configuration.
c. Silver loses its 3rd and 4th orbitals but keeps its one 3S electron.
d. Silver loses its one 3S electron to reflect an electron configuration of radon.

User Synthomat
by
8.0k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

Silver forms a +1 ion by losing the single electron from its outermost 5s orbital, resulting in a stable-filled 4d subshell that b) resembles a noble gas configuration.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to why silver forms a +1 ion given its SPDF notation or electron configuration. Well, the electron configuration for a neutral silver atom is [Kr]4d105s1. When silver forms a cation, it loses the single electron from its outermost 5s orbital. This results in a configuration of [Kr]4d10, which resembles the electron configuration of a noble gas, with a filled d subshell taking the role of the outermost shell with a stable electron count contributing to the stability of the +1 ion. The removal of an s electron is due to the fact that electrons in the s orbital are generally easier to remove than the d or f electrons, particularly for transition metals, to which silver belongs. In choosing among the options provided, none directly describe this process accurately for silver; however, the principle of forming a pseudo-noble-gas electron configuration after losing an electron applies, similar to other transition metals and main group elements.

User David Xia
by
8.5k points