Questions: Deducing valence electron configuration from trends in successive... The first five ionization energies ( IE1 through IE5 ) of a Period 3 element have the following pattern: Make a reasonable guess about which element this is. Enter its chemical symbol below.

Deducing valence electron configuration from trends in successive...

The first five ionization energies ( IE1 through IE5 ) of a Period 3 element have the following pattern:

Make a reasonable guess about which element this is. Enter its chemical symbol below.
Transcript text: Deducing valence electron configuration from trends in successive... The first five ionization energies ( $\mathrm{IE}_{1}$ through $\mathrm{IE}_{5}$ ) of a Period 3 element have the following pattern: Make a reasonable guess about which element this is. Enter its chemical symbol below. $\square$
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Solution

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Solution Steps

Step 1: Analyze the ionization energy trend

The ionization energies gradually increase from IE1 to IE3, then there is a significant jump between IE3 and IE4. This indicates that the first three electrons are relatively easy to remove, while the fourth electron is much more difficult to remove.

Step 2: Relate the trend to the element's electron configuration

This pattern suggests that the element has three valence electrons. Removing the first three electrons corresponds to removing the valence electrons. The large jump in ionization energy after IE3 indicates that the fourth electron is being removed from a stable, filled inner shell.

Step 3: Identify the Period 3 element

Since the element is in Period 3 and has three valence electrons, it must be aluminum (Al).

Final Answer: The element is Al.

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