GENERAL CHEMISTRY TOPICAL:

Electronic Structure
and the Periodic Table Test 1

Time: 22 Minutes*
Number of Questions: 17

* The timing restrictions for the science topical tests are optional. If you
are using this test for the sole purpose of content reinforcement, you
may want to disregard the time limit.
MCAT

DIRECTIONS: Most of the questions in the following test

are organized into groups, with a descriptive passage
preceding each group of questions. Study the passage,
then select the single best answer to each question in the
group. Some of the questions are not based on a
descriptive passage; you must also select the best answer
to these questions. If you are unsure of the best answer,
eliminate the choices that you know are incorrect, then
select an answer from the choices that remain. Indicate
your selection by blackening the corresponding circle on
your answer sheet. A periodic table is provided below for
your use with the questions.

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS

1 2
H He
1.0 4.0
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be B C N O F Ne
6.9 9.0 10.8 12.0 14.0 16.0 19.0 20.2
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
23.0 24.3 27.0 28.1 31.0 32.1 35.5 39.9
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
39.1 40.1 45.0 47.9 50.9 52.0 54.9 55.8 58.9 58.7 63.5 65.4 69.7 72.6 74.9 79.0 79.9 83.8
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
85.5 87.6 88.9 91.2 92.9 95.9 (98) 101.1 102.9 106.4 107.9 112.4 114.8 118.7 121.8 127.6 126.9 131.3
55 56 57 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Cs Ba La * Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
132.9 137.3 138.9 178.5 180.9 183.9 186.2 190.2 192.2 195.1 197.0 200.6 204.4 207.2 209.0 (209) (210) (222)
87 88 89 104 105 106 107 108 109
Fr Ra Ac † Rf Ha Unh Uns Uno Une
(223) 226.0 227.0 (261) (262) (263) (262) (265) (267)

58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
* Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
140.1 140.9 144.2 (145) 150.4 152.0 157.3 158.9 162.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.0 175.0
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
† Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
232.0 (231) 238.0 (237) (244) (243) (247) (247) (251) (252) (257) (258) (259) (260)

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2 as developed by
 Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table Test 1

Passage I (Questions 1–6) 1 . Sodium has a first ionization energy of 496 kJ/mol.
What is the frequency of light absorbed per photon in
In addition to kinetic energy, electrons also have the photoionization of a gas phase sodium sample?
potential energy due to their positions relative to the
nucleus, other electrons, and other nuclei. In a gaseous A. 1.24 × 1012 Hz
atom, the potential energy of an electron can be estimated B. 1.24 × 1015 Hz
from its ionization energy. The first ionization energy of C. 7.48 × 1026 Hz
an element is defined as the minimum amount of energy D. 7.48 × 1038 Hz
required to remove an electron from the gaseous element in
its ground state. First ionization energies range from less
than 400 kJ/mole for cesium to nearly 2400 kJ/mole for
helium. Table 1 gives the first ionization energies of 2 . The first ionization energy of aluminum is 577 kJ/mol
selected elements. while that of magnesium is 738 kJ/mol. This
difference can most likely be attributed to:
Table 1
A . the higher energy of the 3p electron of aluminum
Element I (kJ/mol)
as opposed to the lower lying 3s electrons of
H 1312 magnesium.
He 2372 B . the larger nuclear charge of magnesium compared
Li 520 to that of aluminum.
Be 899 C . the increased internuclear attraction between
B 800 aluminum atoms.
C 1086 D . the electron-electron repulsion of aluminum 3p
N 1402 electrons.
F 1680
Na 496

Photoionization is a method by which first ionization
energies can be conveniently measured. A gaseous sample
of an element is irradiated and the energy of absorbed
photons is determined by the following equation:
I = hν
Equation 1
where I is the ionization energy, ν is the frequency of the
light absorbed, and h is Planck’s constant, 6.63 × 10–34 J •
s.
3 . The second ionization energy is defined as the
minimum amount of energy needed to remove an
electron from a gaseous +1 cation in its ground state.
Which of the following must be true for any element?
A . Second ionization energies are always higher than
first ionization energies.
B . Second ionization energies may be higher or lower
than first ionization energies.
C . Second ionization energies are usually lower than
first ionization energies, but exceptions exist in
the inner transition metals.
D . Second ionization energies are always lower than
first ionization energies due to the destabilization
of the element brought about by ionization.

4 . Which of the following elements has the smallest

atomic radius?
A. Potassium
B. Calcium
C. Cesium
D. Barium

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KAPLAN 3
MCAT

5 . When cesium is photoionized, an electron is removed

from which of the following atomic orbitals?
A. 4p
B. 5p
C. 5d
D. 6s

6 . Why must the photoionization experiment in the

passage be carried out on atoms in the gas phase?
A . Gas phase atoms are the only ones capable of
absorbing visible light.
B . The refractive index of most solids and liquids is
greater than one and thus obscures the true
frequency of absorption.
C . The proximity of neighboring atoms in solids and
liquids increases the potential energy of an
electron, making ionization impossible.
D . Factors such as lattice energy and van der Waals
forces in the solid and liquid states alter the
environment of the electron, thereby distorting the
frequency of absorption.

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4 as developed by

Passage II (Questions 7–12)
The Aufbau, or Building-up, Principle states that the
electronic configuration of an atom or molecule is the
result of the placement of electrons in orbitals of increasing
energy until the correct number of electrons has been
accommodated. This principle takes into consideration the
attraction of the electron to the nucleus and inter-electron
repulsion. The electronic configuration of ions can be
determined by subtracting electrons from the highest energy
orbital for cations or by adding electrons according to the
Building-up Principle.
There has been, however, experimental evidence that
the Aufbau principle is an oversimplification of electronic
structure. The electronic configurations of transition
elements and their ions often do not correspond to those
predicted by the Aufbau Principle. These inconsistencies
are due to electrons filling orbitals in such a way as to give
the atom the lowest possible energy. The total energy of an
atom can be described as:
E=F–G
Equation 1
where E is the total energy, F is the sum of the orbital
energies of the atom, and G is the electron repulsion
energy. The F term increases with increasing values of the
quantum numbers n and l, but the orbitals that minimize F
may not necessarily minimize E. As a result, the lowest
total energy of some elements is achieved by placing
electrons in orbitals with a higher energy (i.e., a higher
principal quantum number) even though there are still
unfixed subshells in the lower energy orbital. This is
especially true for the transition elements, where the s
orbital of a higher electron shell fills before the d orbital
with a lower n value.
1 0 . What is the electronic configuration of indium
KAPLAN
Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table Test 1
7 . Which of the following best explains why chromium
exhibits a valence electron configuration of 3d54s1
instead of the predicted 3d44s2?
A . The 4s orbital has a higher energy and therefore
fills last.
B . After the first 3d electron is added to an atom, each
successive electron will go into the 3d subshell
until it is filled.
C . Since the 3d subshell is half-filled, the total
energy of the atom is minimized.
D . Chromium exhibits multiple oxidation states and
so must have many unpaired electrons.
8 . Based on information in the passage, which of the
following statements is true?
A . By nature of its principal quantum number alone,
the 3d orbital has lower energy and fills before the
4s orbital.
B . By nature of its principal quantum number alone,
the 3d orbital has lower energy but fills after the
4s orbital because of electron repulsion energies.
C . By nature of its principal quantum number alone,
the 4s orbital has lower energy and fills before the
3d orbital.
D . By nature of its principal quantum number alone,
the 4s orbital has lower energy but fills after the
3d orbital because of electron repulsion energies.
9 . What are the ground-state electronic configurations of
the Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions respectively?
A. [Ar]3d6 and [Ar]3d5
B. [Ar]3d6 and [Ar]3d44s1
C. [Ar]3d54s1 and[Ar]3d44s1
D. [Ar]3d44s2 and [Ar]3d34s2
(Z = 49)?
A. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23dl04p65s24d105p1
B. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23dl04p65s14d105p2
C. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23dl04p65s14d95p3
D. 1s22s22p63s23p64s23dl04p65s24d85p3
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5
 MCAT

1 1 . What is the maximum number of electrons shell

number 4 can hold?
A. 32
B. 18
C. 8
D. 2

1 2 . Which set of elements has electrons added to the 4f

subshell as the atomic number increases?
A. Metalloids
B. Actinides
C. Alkali metals
D. Lanthanides

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6 as developed by
 Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table Test 1

Questions 13 through 17 are NOT 1 7 . Which of the following would be different in a ground-
based on a descriptive passage. state and an excited-state neon atom?
A. The number of neutrons
1 3 . All halogens have similar reactivity because: B. The number of electrons
A . they have the same number of protons. C. The atomic weight
B . they have the same number of electrons. D. The electronic configuration
C . they have similar outer shell electron
configurations.
D . they have valence electrons with the same
quantum numbers. END OF TEST

1 4 . Electron affinity is defined as:

A . the change in energy when a gaseous atom in its
ground state gains an electron.
B . the pull an atom has on the electrons in a
chemical bond.
C . the energy required to remove a valence electron
from a neutral gaseous atom in its ground state.
D . the energy difference between an electron in its
ground and excited states.

1 5 . The modern periodic table is ordered on the basis of

A. atomic mass.
B. atomic radius.
C. atomic charge.
D. atomic number.

1 6 . Two electrons with the same n, l, and ml values:

A . must be in different atoms.
B . are in different orbitals of the same subshell.
C . are in the same orbital of the same subshell with
opposite spins.
D . are indistinguishable from each other.

KAPLAN 7
MCAT

ANSWER KEY:
1. B 6. D 11. A 16. C
2. A 7. C 12. D 17. D
3. A 8. B 13. C
4. B 9. A 14. A
5. D 10. A 15. D

8 as developed by
 Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table Test 1

ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE AND THE PERIODIC TABLE TEST 1 EXPLANATIONS

Passage I (Questions 1–6)

1. B
In order to answer this question correctly you need to understand and use Equation 1. The question-stem states that the
ionization energy of sodium is 496 kJ/mole; in other words, 496 kilojoules of energy is required to remove one mole of
electrons from one mole of sodium atoms. Well, all you have to do is plug the energy into Equation 1 and divide by Planck's
constant to get the frequency of the photon, right? Well, essentially, yes, but remember that 496 kJ is the amount of energy for
one mole of these photons, not for an individual photon. So if one mole of photons has an energy of 496 kJ, one photon has
496 kJ divided by 6.02 ∞ 1023, or 8.24 ∞ 10–22, kilojoules of energy. So, converting that to joules to match units with
Planck's constant and plugging into Equation 1, we get that the frequency of the photons is 8.24 ∞ 10–19 joules divided by 6.62
∞ 10–34 joule seconds, or 1.24 ∞ 1015 hertz, answer choice B. If you failed to recognize that the energy you were given was per
mole, not per photon, you would have gotten answer choice D. If you had forgotten that Planck's constant is in joule seconds
and the energy was in kilojoules so there had to be a conversion, you would have gotten choice A. Choice C represents a
combination of calculation errors, including moving the decimal point the wrong way when converting kilojoules to joules.

2. A
The first thing you may have noticed about this question is that in describing the first ionization energies of
magnesium (atomic number 12) and aluminum (atomic number 13), the trend in the periodic table that shows increasing first
ionization energies across a period doesn't apply. Due to the increased nuclear pull, first ionization energies generally increase
across a period, but here, the first ionization energy has decreased. First of all, remember that the trends in the periodic table are
not absolute. Second, the question is essentially asking us to explain why these two elements don't follow the trend. Why is
the first ionization energy of aluminum lower than the first ionization energy of magnesium? To answer that, we have to look
at the electronic structure of these two atoms. Magnesium is in the second column of the periodic table, indicating that its two
valence electrons are in the 3s subshell. Aluminum, in column 13, has one of its three valence electrons in the 3p subshell and
the other two in the 3s. Aluminum's lone "p" electron has a higher energy than magnesium's "s" electrons and is, therefore,
held less tightly by the nucleus. Because it is held less tightly, it requires less energy to remove it. A similar situation exists
between beryllium and boron. Choice B is wrong because aluminum, with one more proton than magnesium, has a greater
nuclear charge. Choice C is wrong because the two positively charged nuclei of neighboring atoms repel each other; they don't
attract as indicated here. D is also incorrect because there is only one "p" electron in aluminum; no electron-electron repulsions
exist.

3. A
As the question states, and is stated in the question, the second ionization energy is the energy required to remove an
electron from the +1 cation; in essence, the energy needed to remove the second most energetic electron from an atom after the
first is removed. All atoms have as many ionization energies as they do electrons, but we hardly ever deal with anything higher
than the sixth; after all, when was the last time you had to deal with a +20 cation? Anyway, which of the statements is correct?
Choice A says that the second ionization energy of an atom is always greater than the first ionization energy of the same atom.
That seems right. After all, the second electron to be removed must have had a lower energy than the first to begin with, so it
would take more energy to remove it. Further, it requires more energy to remove an electron from a positively charged ion. So
choice A looks good, but we should check on the other three. Choice B says that the second ionization energies can be lower or
higher than the first. The only way that the second ionization energy can be lower than the first is if the second electron to be
removed has a greater energy than the first. However, if the second electron had more energy, it would have been the first
electron removed, so choice B is wrong. Choice C is wrong because, as we've just discussed, second ionization energies are not
lower than first ionization energies. Choice D is wrong for the same reason, but also because ionization does not always
destabilize a species. Sodium tends to be found not as neutral Na, but as the Na+ cation because the cation is more stable than
the neutral atom. So choice A is the best answer.

4. B
This question is only indirectly related to the passage. The distance from the nucleus is a factor in ionization energy.
In general, the further an electron is from the nucleus, the greater its overall energy is and the easier it is to strip from the atom.
It should also be apparent to you that the further away from the nucleus the outermost electron is, the larger the atomic radius
is. The trend in atomic radius in the periodic table is just the opposite of that for ionization energy, that is, it generally
decreases as you move across a period and increases as you move down a column. The radius decreases from left to right across
a period because the effective nuclear charge is increasing: the greater the effective nuclear charge, the stronger the electrons are

KAPLAN 9
MCAT

attracted to the nucleus, the smaller the radius. The radii increase in going down a group because in the higher periods, the
value of n increases: the larger n is, the larger the orbitals are, and the further away the electrons are from the nucleus.
Applying this knowledge to the question, we can eliminate choices C and D pretty quickly since they are in the sixth period and
the other choices are in the fourth. We know that the atomic radii of potassium and calcium will be much smaller than those of
cesium and barium. Since calcium is to the right of potassium in the same period, we can say that choice B, calcium, has the
smallest radius.

5. D
This answer shouldn't come as a great surprise to you. By now, you should have a handle on the fact that ionization,
be it photoionization or some other method for removing an electron from an atom, takes an electron from the valence shell of
an atom. That means that this question essentially asks you what the valence shell of cesium is. Cesium is element 55. It is
the first element in the sixth period of the periodic table. Here's where some knowledge of how the periodic table is set up
comes in handy. In the period table, the first two columns are the s-block elements. Their valence electrons are in the s
subshell of whatever energy level characterizes their outermost shell. The next ten columns are the d-block elements, also called
the transition elements. The next six columns are the p-block elements and the 28 elements below in the lanthanide and
actinide series, the inner transition metals, are the f-block elements. Notice that the number of columns in a block is the same
as the maximum number of electrons the subshell that block is named after can hold. Now, don't think that the elements in any
one block can only use the electrons in the subshell the block is named for as valence electrons. Metals in the fourth period
transition elements often use both 4s and 3d electrons in reactions and elements in the p-block often utilize the electrons in the s
subshell too. However, the blocks are named as such because each electron added in these blocks goes into the subshell the
block is named for; the block name identifies the valence subshell. Anyway, let's answer the question. Since cesium is an s-
block element, its valence electrons are in the s subshell, so the answer must be choice D. Further, since cesium is in the sixth
period, it must have valence electrons in the sixth shell. Again, only choice D reflects electrons in the sixth shell. So by both
the shell and subshell identity, the only possible answer to this question is D.

6. D
The best way to answer this question is by eliminating each incorrect choice. In doing this, it forces you to read each
answer choice in turn before deciding which one is the best. So here we're looking for the best reason that photoionization, for
the sake of determining the first ionization energy, should take place in the gas phase. Choice A says that it is because only
gas phase atoms can absorb visible light. Well, this is untrue. If solids or liquids were unable to absorb at least some visible
light, there would be no colored solids or liquids. So choice A must be wrong. B says that the atoms must be in the gas phase
because the refractive index is greater than one, so the frequency of the absorbed light is obscured. This is untrue, the frequency
of absorption can be measured; what effect the photon has on the material is another story entirely--choice B is incorrect.
Choice C essentially says that solids and liquids cannot be ionized and so electrons cannot be removed or shifted in solids or
liquids. Not true! Think about electricity. How could solid metal wires conduct electricity if their electrons couldn't be moved
around? How could redox reactions of solids take place if electrons couldn't be gained or lost? That leaves choice D as the right
answer. It says that other energy factors on the electrons between the atoms of solids or liquids distorts the light frequency that
an electron can absorb by altering the energy of the electron. That makes sense. After all, when bonds are formed, energy is
released. To remove the bonding electrons, energy must first be added to break the bond and then to release the electron from the
nuclear pull. When atoms are associated through some sort of intermolecular force like hydrogen bonds, energy must be added
to break the intermolecular association and then to release the electron. So only for elements in the gas phase, where the
distances between atoms is so great that there is very little interatomic interactions, will photoionization give a measurement
for the ionization energy that is not affected by other energy factors.

Passage II (Questions 7–12)

7. C
The answer to this question comes from the passage. Electrons fill the orbitals around the nucleus of an atom in such
a way as to give the lowest possible atomic energy. That was right in the passage. This knowledge, along with the fact that
half-filled and fully filled subshells have increased stability, gives us the answer. In the case of chromium, a lower energy is
achieved when one of the 4s electrons is transferred to the 3d subshell, making it half-filled. Choice C is the correct answer.
Other anomalies include molybdenum, which behaves similarly to chromium; copper, silver, and gold, all of which promote an
"s" electron to give a fully filled "d" subshell. All right, choice A is wrong because there would be no 4s electrons in this atom
if the 4s orbital filled last. Even with five 3d electrons, the subshell has room for 5 more. Choice B is wrong because it
implies that the 4s electrons would have remained where they were while the 3d orbitals filled. That doesn't seem to be the case
here since a 4s electron has moved into the 3d subshell. Finally, choice D is more of a consequence, not a cause, of the

10 as developed by
 Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table Test 1

electronic configuration. Because of the six different spatial orientations of the valence electron orbitals, there is more
opportunity for reaction and so chromium exhibits a wide variety of oxidation states. So choice C is the best answer.

8. B
This question is a little confusing because of the oversimplifications that the Aufbau principle leads to. However, you
are told that just because the F term in Equation 1 is minimized doesn't mean that the E term is also. In fact, because of the
electron repulsions, subshells with higher principal quantum numbers are sometimes filled before subshells with lower principal
quantum numbers because that minimize the overall energy when electron repulsions are taken into account. You are even told
that this is the case for the d and s orbitals in transition elements.

9. A
To find the electronic configurations of cations, all you need to do is, starting with the highest value of n, remove
electrons in the order np, then ns, then (n-1)d. So, let's do this for the +2 and +3 ions of iron. The first thing that you need to
do is figure out the electronic configuration of neutral iron. From the periodic table, the configuration is [argon core]3d64s2.
To form the +2 ion you need to remove two electrons; following the rule I just stated, the configuration of the +2 ion is
[Ar]3d6. The two 4s electrons are removed since they have the highest energy. This makes answer choice A correct. Answers
B and C are choices that could have confused you if you had tried to impose the chromium atom electronic configuration on the
iron II ion. However, because electrons are removed from atoms to form ions in the order that I described earlier, this is not the
case. The configuration of the plus three state is [Ar]3d5. That leaves us with a half-filled 3d orbital. The stability of this
configuration makes +3 the preferred oxidation state of iron. Choice D would have seemed correct if you had forgotten the
higher energy of 4s electrons. The destabilizing electron repulsions that caused the 4s subshell to fill before the 3d are countered
by the greater nuclear charge. (You may have expected the electronic configuration of Fe2+ to be [Ar]3d54s1 based on the
stability of half-filled orbitals, but actually that is not the case here. Even though you couldn’t have predicted when the anomaly
applies, it is irrelevant here because [Ar]3d54s1 is not a choice that is accompanied by the correct configuration for the Fe3+ ion,
which we know to be [Ar]3d5.)

10. A
For this question you have to be able to recognize the electronic configuration of indium. The first thing to do when
finding the electronic configuration of an element is to determine its atomic number and its atomic charge. That will tell you
how many electrons to put into the atom. In this case, indium has an atomic number of 49 and an atomic charge of 0 since it
is neutral. That means that you have to put 49 electrons into the correct orbitals. If you look at the periodic table, you see that
indium is in column 13, period 5. That means that its electronic configuration will be built upon the fourth period noble gas,
krypton, configuration. In fact, you can see this by looking at the answer choices and seeing that they all start with 1s2-2s2-
2p6-3s2-3p6-4s2-3d10-4p6. That takes care of the first 36 electrons, what about the next 13? 12 of them will fill the 5s and 4d
orbitals, bringing us out of the transition elements. The final one will go into the 5p orbital. That gives a final valence
configuration of 5s2-4d-105p1, choice A. The other choices try to fool you by promoting electrons to the 5p orbital.

11. A
This question is just an outside knowledge question testing your memory of quantum numbers and subshells. The best
way to answer this question is to remember that the 4th electron shell has four subshells, an s, a p, a d and an f. They can hold
2, 6, 10, and 14 electrons respectively. So all you have to do is add them up, which gives you 32, choice A. You can either
remember the subshells in the 4th electron shell and how many electrons each one holds as we just did, or you can remember
that for n = 4, l can be 0, 1, 2, or 3. Each l value had ml values ranging from l to -l, so there are 16 possible ml states in the
4th energy level. Each ml value can hold 2 electrons in the atom, so 16 ∞ 2 is 32.

12. D
This is another outside knowledge question, although you can draw parallels to the passage. The passage informs you
that as the 3d electrons fill, you move across the fourth period transition elements. So, as you fill in 4f electrons, you should
move across another set of elements. Well, first of all, the 4f subshell can hold 14 electrons, so whatever set of elements you
are dealing with, there must be fourteen of them. Further, you know that they must all be in the same period. That limits the
answers to one of the two periods of inner transition metals shown under the periodic table. These are the lanthanide and
actinide series, choices B and D. The metalloids, choice A, are p-block elements that display properties intermediate to those of
metals and nonmetals. Since there are metalloids in a number of periods, choice A cannot be right since filling the subshell one
electron at a time would not represent elements in different periods. Choice C, the alkali metals that make up the first column
of the periodic table, also suffers from this problem. So since both choices B and D represent sets of elements that have f
electrons added as the atomic number increases, you just have to decide which set you get when the 4f subshell is filled. Well,
the order of filling up to the 4f subshell is 1s2-2s2-2p6-3s2-3p6-4s2-3d10-4p6-5s2-4d10-5p6-6s2, which totals 56 electrons. So the

KAPLAN 11
MCAT

next 14 elements above atomic number 56 will have the 4f subshell filling. Element 57 is lanthanide, so this set of 4f
elements is called the lanthanide series, or simply the lanthanides. That's choice D. Choice B, the actinides, are the elements
that represent the set that fill the 5f orbital as atomic number increases.

Discrete Questions

13. C
This question is basically another one that requires you to know something about the periodicity of the elements.
Basically, all this question asks you is why all the halogens behave so similarly in reactions. What is it about the elements in a
column that are the same? Not the number of protons, choice A. If that were true, all these elements would be the same. Not
the number of electrons, choice B, since that is equal to the number of protons in a neutral atom. Not the quantum numbers of
the valence electrons, choice D. Every period has higher valence quantum numbers than the last and every column contains
elements from at least two periods. That leaves choice C, the number of valence electrons. Since the identity of the valence
electrons is the same in each column, that is columns in the s-block have valence s electrons, columns in the p-block have
valence s and p electrons, and columns in the d-block have valence s and d electrons, the only thing that can make them act
similarly is the number of electrons in these shells. That should make sense. We discussed that the number of electrons in the
valence shell affected the reactivity and stability of the shell. The number of electrons affects the ionization energy and electron
affinity, whether the atom will form cations or anions, and even the number of bonds the atom can participate in. So choice C
must be the correct answer.

14. A
This question really just boils down to definitions. The electron affinity of an atom is defined as the change in energy
that occurs when an electron is added to a gaseous neutral atom in its ground-state. So electron affinities can be positive or
negative, depending on whether energy is released when an atom spontaneously accepts an electron or energy is gained when an
electron is forced onto an atom. So choice A is the correct answer. Electronegativity is a derived quantity, usually scaled for all
atoms between 0 and 4, that characterizes the pull an atom has for the electrons in a bond. The electronegativity has nothing to
do with how likely an atom is to gain an electron, just how strong its pull on an electron in a bond is. The "in a bond" part is
very important. The concept of electronegativity can only be applied to atoms that are already bonded. It characterizes the
polarity of the bond, not the likelihood of bond formation. So choice B is the definition of electronegativity. You probably
recognize choice C as the definition of the first ionization energy. This is kind of the opposite of electron affinity since in
electron affinity, electrons are gained and in ionization, electrons are lost. Choice D would give the energy of a photon released
when an electron relaxed from an excited state to a lower lying state. Since there are many quantities for this energy, depending
on which excited state the electron is in, it hardly makes a good answer to this question.

15. D
When the periodic table was first being designed, it was thought that the periodicity of the elements could be explained
on the basis of atomic mass. Mendeleev discovered that when the elements were arranged in order of increasing atomic mass,
certain chemical properties were repeated at regular intervals. However, certain elements could not be fit into any group of a
table based on increasing atomic mass. It was the discovery of the nucleus and its components that led scientists to order the
elements by increasing atomic number, the number of protons. So, choice A is wrong and choice D is correct. Choice B,
atomic radius, is wrong because while the atomic radius does increase as the period increases, it decreases across a single period
due to the increased nuclear charge acting on the same amount of electron shielding. So using atomic radius as the basis of the
periodic order doesn't make sense either. Choice C might seem correct because each subsequent element has an additional
proton, making each subsequent nuclear charge greater. However, the choice is the atomic charge which, in neutral atoms, is
always zero since one electron is added for each proton.

16. C
You know from the Pauli Exclusion Principle that no two electrons in the same atom can have identical quantum
numbers. So, with n, l, and ml the same, you may be tempted to say the two electrons must be in different atoms, choice A.
However, there is a fourth quantum number that could be different, so choice A is not necessarily true. Let's review what we
know. The n value indicates that these electrons are in the same shell. The value of n also limits the value of l, defining the
possible subshells the electrons can occupy. If they have the same l value, they must be in the same subshell if they are in the
same atom. The l value limits the ml value, which defines the specific spatial orientation of the orbital the electrons are in. If
the ml value is the same for two electrons, they are in the same orbital. So, since the identical ml value puts these two
electrons in the same orbital, choice B must be wrong. So how do we choose between C and D? Well, so far the electrons are
indistinguishable in the same atom, but the Pauli principle says that we must be able to distinguish them, so choice D must be
wrong. Choice C is indeed correct because you know that the last quantum number, ms, must be different for these two

12 as developed by
 Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table Test 1

electrons. So one will have an ms value equal to +1/2 and the other will be -1/2. This simply denotes that one is spinning
clockwise and the other is spinning counter-clockwise. So the spins are opposite and choice C is correct.

17. D
Again, to answer this question, you simply need to know the definition of ground-state and excited-state. The ground-
state of an atom is when all the electrons in the atom are in their lowest energy state. If any electron has absorbed energy and
been promoted to a higher energy orbital in the atom without actually leaving the atom, the atom is said to be in an excited-
state. An atom can have any number of excited states depending on how many electrons have been promoted and what orbitals
they end up in. Usually, excited states are unstable and the atom will release energy and return to the ground state. So which of
these choices explains the difference between these two definitions? Choice A says that a difference in the number of neutrons
leads to the difference between the ground and excited states. As we just said however, it is the electrons that we are concerned
with here. Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. Choice B says the number of
electrons. Well, we just said that no electrons can leave an atom when going between ground and excited states, so this is
wrong. Atoms of the same element with different numbers of electrons are called ions. Choice C says atomic weight. This
pretty much means a different number of protons and/or neutrons. Well, we know a different number of neutrons is wrong and
that if the number of protons was different, we'd have a different atom, so choice C is wrong. That leaves choice D as correct.
When electrons gain energy and change which atomic orbital they're in, they change their quantum numbers which in turn
changes the electronic configuration around the nucleus, so choice D is indeed correct.

KAPLAN 13