Question

If there are 3 electrons in the 3p sublevel of an atom, all three should be put into separate orbitals. This is an example of

A. the Aufbau Principle
B. the Pauli Exclusion Principle
C. Hund's Rule
D. Electron Configuration Principle

Answer 1

The correct answer to the question is C. Hund's Rule, which stipulates that each electron must singly occupy each degenerate orbital before any of them are doubly occupied, and that electrons in these orbitals should have parallel spins.

Step-by-step explanation:

When placing 3 electrons in the 3p sublevel of an atom and ensuring that all three are put into separate orbitals, this is an application of Hund's Rule. According to this rule, orbitals of equal energy within the same sublevel get occupied by one electron each before any one orbital gets a second electron. Additionally, all the single electrons will have the same spin to minimize the repulsion between the negatively charged particles.

This scenario does not describe the Aufbau Principle, which dictates that electrons fill from the lowest to highest energy orbitals, nor does it pertain to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which states that no two electrons can have the same set of four quantum numbers within the same orbital. Thus, the correct answer to the student's question is C. Hund's Rule.