Which of the following structures is associated with biggest jump between the second and third ionization energy ?

Options

A. `1s^(2)2s^(2) 2p^(6)3s^(1)`
B. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(5)`
C. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(6)`
D. `1s^(2)2s^(2)2p^(6)3s^(2)3p^(2)`

Answer

To determine which structure is associated with the biggest jump between the second and third ionization energy, we need to analyze the ionization energies of different electron configurations. Here's a step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understand Ionization Energy
Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from a gaseous atom. The first ionization energy (IE1) removes the outermost electron, the second ionization energy (IE2) removes the next outermost electron, and so on.

### Step 2: Analyze Given Electron Configurations
We need to analyze the given electron configurations to see how the removal of electrons affects the ionization energies. The configurations typically provided in such questions might include:

1. Configuration A: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s²
2. Configuration B: 1s² 2s² 2p⁵
3. Configuration C: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p²
4. Configuration D: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹

### Step 3: Identify Fully Filled and Half-Filled Shells
- Fully filled shells (like 1s² 2s² 2p⁶) are more stable and require more energy to remove an electron from them.
- Half-filled shells (like 2p³) have a certain stability due to symmetry and exchange energy.

### Step 4: Calculate Ionization Energies
For each configuration:
- **Configuration A (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s²)**:
- IE1: Remove 3s² electron (relatively low energy)
- IE2: Remove another 3s electron (still low energy)
- IE3: Remove from 2p⁶ (requires much more energy due to stability of filled shell)

- **Configuration B (1s² 2s² 2p⁵)**:
- IE1: Remove 2p⁵ electron (low energy)
- IE2: Remove 2p⁴ electron (low energy)
- IE3: Remove 2p³ electron (still not a huge jump)

- **Configuration C (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p²)**:
- IE1: Remove 3p² electron (low energy)
- IE2: Remove 3p¹ electron (low energy)
- IE3: Remove from 3s² (requires more energy)

- **Configuration D (1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p¹)**:
- IE1: Remove 3p¹ electron (low energy)
- IE2: Remove 3s² electron (low energy)
- IE3: Remove from 2p⁶ (requires much more energy)

### Step 5: Compare the Jumps
The biggest jump in ionization energy will occur when an electron is removed from a stable, fully filled shell.

- In **Configuration A**, the jump from IE2 to IE3 is significant because it goes from removing an electron from the 3s shell to the stable 2p⁶ shell.
- In **Configuration D**, the jump is also significant when moving from 3s² to 2p⁶.

### Conclusion
After analyzing the configurations, the biggest jump between the second and third ionization energies is observed in **Configuration D**. This is because the third ionization energy involves removing an electron from a fully filled shell (2p⁶), which requires significantly more energy compared to removing electrons from the outer shells.

### Final Answer
**The structure associated with the biggest jump between the second and third ionization energy is Configuration D.**