Question

t turns out there was something very unusual in this experiment in that the classical energy ordering of valence orbitals to define the electron configuration of ag would give [kr]5s24d9 (see attached periodic table, [kr] configuration is 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p6). if this was the case, the orbital angular momentum for the electron distribution would be defined by the quantum number l and the total magnetic moment would be the sum of orbital and spin moments. how many spots should stern and gerlach have observed if [kr]5s24d9 was the actual electron configuration? draw the splitting of energy levels due to the interaction of resulting magnetic moments along the field direction (taken as z component) for both orbital angular momentum and spin.

Answer 1

If the electron configuration of Ag was [Kr]5s²4d¹, the Stern-Gerlach experiment would show more than two spots due to the impact of orbital angular momentum and spin. Nevertheless, the actual electron configuration is [Kr]5s±4d±0, leading to only two distinct spots, supporting the quantum mechanical model and quantized spin states.

Step-by-step explanation:

The classical energy ordering for valence orbitals in an Ag atom would suggest the electron configuration to be [Kr]5s24d9, allowing for magnetic moments due to the orbital angular momentum and spin. In this hypothetical scenario, the Stern-Gerlach experiment would show a greater number of spots on the screen. However, the actual configuration of Ag is [Kr]5s14d10, with a filled d subshell, leading to an orbital angular momentum of zero. The only contribution to the magnetic moment comes from the spin of the single unpaired electron in the 5s orbital. Therefore, when Ag atoms are passed through a nonuniform magnetic field, only two spots are observed, aligning with the up and down spin states of the electron, rather than a continuous smudge. This demonstrates quantized spin state effects.