Explain why the liquid oxygen sticks to the magnet pole but liquid nitrogen does not ?

Answer

To explain why liquid oxygen sticks to the magnet pole while liquid nitrogen does not, we need to analyze the magnetic properties of both substances based on their molecular orbital electronic configurations.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Magnetic Properties**:
- Substances can be classified as paramagnetic or diamagnetic based on their electron configurations.
- Paramagnetic substances have unpaired electrons and are attracted to magnetic fields.
- Diamagnetic substances have all electrons paired and are not attracted to magnetic fields.

2. **Molecular Orbital Configuration of Oxygen (O2)**:
- The molecular orbital electronic configuration of O2 is:
- \( \sigma 1s^2 \)
- \( \sigma^* 1s^2 \)
- \( \sigma 2s^2 \)
- \( \sigma^* 2s^2 \)
- \( \sigma 2p_z^2 \)
- \( \pi 2p_x^2 \)
- \( \pi 2p_y^2 \)
- \( \pi^* 2p_x^1 \)
- \( \pi^* 2p_y^1 \)
- In this configuration, we observe that the \( \pi^* 2p_x \) and \( \pi^* 2p_y \) orbitals each contain one unpaired electron.

3. **Molecular Orbital Configuration of Nitrogen (N2)**:
- The molecular orbital electronic configuration of N2 is:
- \( \sigma 1s^2 \)
- \( \sigma^* 1s^2 \)
- \( \sigma 2s^2 \)
- \( \sigma^* 2s^2 \)
- \( \pi 2p_x^2 \)
- \( \pi 2p_y^2 \)
- \( \sigma 2p_z^2 \)
- In this configuration, all electrons are paired, meaning there are no unpaired electrons.

4. **Conclusion**:
- Since O2 has unpaired electrons, it is paramagnetic and will be attracted to a magnet, causing liquid oxygen to stick to the magnet pole.
- In contrast, N2 has all paired electrons, making it diamagnetic, and therefore it does not stick to the magnet pole.

### Summary:
- Liquid oxygen (O2) is paramagnetic due to unpaired electrons in its molecular orbital configuration, allowing it to stick to a magnet.
- Liquid nitrogen (N2) is diamagnetic with all paired electrons, which is why it does not exhibit attraction to a magnet.