Final answer:
S and p orbitals do not contribute to para or ferromagnetism because electrons in s orbitals exhibit no orbital angular momentum, and p orbitals usually have paired spins cancelling magnetic effects. Unpaired electrons are generally required for paramagnetism and are typically found in d or f orbitals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around why s and p orbitals do not contribute to para or ferromagnetism. In the context of magnetic properties, electrons in s orbitals exhibit no orbital angular momentum, which translates to no magnetic moment related to orbital movement.
This is not to say that the electron in an s orbital is in a state of rest; its overall motion does not generate a magnetic field. For p orbitals, although the electron possesses a magnetic moment, the geometry and occupancy of these orbitals typically result in paired electrons with opposite spin directions that cancel out the magnetic effects.
Paramagnetism often requires unpaired electrons and is associated with orbitals that allow for such electron arrangements, such as d or f orbitals, especially in transition metals.
Ferromagnetism arises not just from unpaired electrons but from the interaction of these magnetic moments between atoms within a material, leading to a permanent magnetic state.
The exceptional cases involving some transition metals like Sc³⁺, Ti4⁺, and Zn²⁺ show that when these atoms have all d electrons paired, despite not being in d orbitals, they are considered diamagnetic rather than paramagnetic.
In instances involving s-p mixing, the orbital energies are affected, changing their stability, but this does not lead to magnetic properties. It merely influences how orbitals are occupied by electrons.
Hybridization can occur with s, p, d, and even f orbitals to explain bonding and molecular geometries; however, this concept again is separate from the question of magnetic properties.