Number of unpaired electrons in `N^(2+)` is/are

Options

A. 2
B. 0
C. 1
D. 3

Explanation

To determine the number of unpaired electrons in \( N^{2+} \), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Determine the Atomic Number of Nitrogen
The atomic number of nitrogen (N) is 7. This means a neutral nitrogen atom has 7 electrons.

### Step 2: Write the Electron Configuration of Neutral Nitrogen
The electron configuration of nitrogen can be written as:
- 1s² 2s² 2p³

This means:
- 2 electrons in the 1s orbital
- 2 electrons in the 2s orbital
- 3 electrons in the 2p orbital

### Step 3: Identify the Electrons in the 2p Orbital
In the 2p orbital, we have 3 electrons. According to Hund's rule, these electrons will occupy separate orbitals before pairing up. Therefore, the arrangement in the 2p orbital will be:
- 2p: ↑ ↑ ↑ (3 unpaired electrons)

### Step 4: Adjust for the \( N^{2+} \) Ion
Since we are looking at \( N^{2+} \), we need to remove 2 electrons from the neutral nitrogen atom. Electrons are removed from the highest energy level first, which in this case is the 2p orbital.

### Step 5: Remove Electrons from the 2p Orbital
Removing 2 electrons from the 2p orbital:
- Original 2p: ↑ ↑ ↑ (3 electrons)
- After removing 2 electrons: 2p: ↑ (1 unpaired electron remains)

### Step 6: Count the Number of Unpaired Electrons
After removing the 2 electrons, we find that there is 1 unpaired electron left in the 2p orbital.

### Final Answer
The number of unpaired electrons in \( N^{2+} \) is **1**.

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