Which of the following configuration is associated with biggest jump between 2nd and 3rd IE?

Options

A. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(2)`
B. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(6)3s^(1)`
C. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(6)3s^(2)`
D. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(1)`

Answer

To determine which electronic configuration is associated with the biggest jump between the second (IE2) and third (IE3) ionization energies, we need to analyze the stability of the electronic configurations after the removal of electrons. The key point is that a significant jump in ionization energy occurs when removing an electron from a stable configuration, such as a noble gas configuration or a fully filled subshell.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Ionization Energy**: Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom. The second ionization energy (IE2) refers to the energy required to remove a second electron after the first has been removed, and the third ionization energy (IE3) is for removing a third electron.

2. **Identifying the Configurations**: We are given several electronic configurations. We need to analyze each one to see how the removal of electrons affects stability.

- **Option 1**: 1s² 2s² 2p²
- **Option 2**: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹
- **Option 3**: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵
- **Option 4**: 1s² 2s² 2p¹

3. **Removing Electrons**:
- For **Option 1** (1s² 2s² 2p²):
- IE1: 1s² 2s² 2p² → 1s² 2s² 2p¹
- IE2: 1s² 2s² 2p¹ → 1s² 2s²
- IE3: 1s² 2s² → 1s² 2s¹
- For **Option 2** (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹):
- IE1: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹ → 1s² 2s² 2p⁶
- IE2: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ → 1s² 2s² 2p⁵
- IE3: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵ → 1s² 2s² 2p⁴
- For **Option 3** (1s² 2s² 2p⁵):
- IE1: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵ → 1s² 2s² 2p⁴
- IE2: 1s² 2s² 2p⁴ → 1s² 2s² 2p³
- IE3: 1s² 2s² 2p³ → 1s² 2s² 2p²
- For **Option 4** (1s² 2s² 2p¹):
- IE1: 1s² 2s² 2p¹ → 1s² 2s²
- IE2: 1s² 2s² → 1s² 2s¹
- IE3: 1s² 2s¹ → 1s²

4. **Analyzing Stability**:
- After the second ionization (IE2), **Option 2** (1s² 2s² 2p⁶) achieves a noble gas configuration (stable), making the removal of the next electron (IE3) significantly harder, leading to a large jump in energy.
- **Option 4** (1s² 2s² 2p¹) also becomes stable after the second ionization, but it does not reach a noble gas configuration.
- The other options do not show a significant jump because they do not reach a highly stable configuration after the second ionization.

5. **Conclusion**: The biggest jump between the second and third ionization energies occurs in **Option 2** (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹) because it reaches a stable noble gas configuration after the second ionization.

### Final Answer: Option 2 (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹)