Oxygen molecule exhibits paramagnetism since it contains

Options

A. paired electrons
B. unpaired electrons
C. odd number of electrons
D. two electrons in its valence shell

Answer

To answer the question of why the oxygen molecule exhibits paramagnetism, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Molecular Formula of Oxygen**:
The molecular formula for oxygen is O₂.

2. **Determine the Atomic Number of Oxygen**:
The atomic number of oxygen (O) is 8. This means each oxygen atom has 8 electrons.

3. **Write the Electronic Configuration of an Oxygen Atom**:
The electronic configuration of a single oxygen atom is:
- 1s² 2s² 2p⁴

4. **Combine the Electronic Configurations for O₂**:
Since O₂ consists of two oxygen atoms, we can combine their electronic configurations:
- For O₂: 1s² 2s² 2p⁴ (from one O) + 1s² 2s² 2p⁴ (from the second O)
- This gives us a total of 16 electrons: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ (for the two 1s and 2s) and 2p⁴ + 2p⁴ = 2p⁸.

5. **Understand the Filling of the 2p Orbitals**:
The 2p subshell can hold a maximum of 6 electrons. In O₂, the 2p orbitals are filled as follows:
- 2p: ↑↓ ↑↓ ↑ (the first four electrons are paired, and the last two are unpaired).

6. **Identify the Unpaired Electrons**:
In the 2p subshell of O₂, there are 2 unpaired electrons. This is crucial for determining the magnetic properties of the molecule.

7. **Explain Paramagnetism**:
Paramagnetism occurs in substances that have unpaired electrons. The presence of unpaired electrons allows the substance to be attracted to a magnetic field.

8. **Conclusion**:
Therefore, the oxygen molecule (O₂) exhibits paramagnetism because it contains two unpaired electrons in its electronic configuration.

### Final Answer:
Oxygen molecule exhibits paramagnetism since it contains two unpaired electrons.

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