General Chemistry Semester 2/2023-2024 Dr. Duong N.H.

Nhung

CHAPTER 1
Exercise 1: Radiation
1.1 Arrange the following types of photons of electromagnetic radiation in order of increasing energy:
𝛾-rays, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, microwaves, x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation,
and radio waves.

1.2 A college student recently had a busy day. Each of the student’s activities on that day (reading,
having a dental x-ray, making popcorn in a microwave oven, and getting a suntan) involved radiation
from a different part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Complete the following table and match each
type of radiation to the appropriate event:

1.3 Sodium vapor lamps, used for public lighting, emit yellow light of wavelength 589 nm. How
much energy is emitted by (a) an excited sodium atom when it generates a photon; (b) 5.00 mg of
sodium atoms emitting light at this wavelength; (c) 1.00 mol of sodium atoms emitting light at this
wavelength?

1.4 The velocity of an electron that is emitted from a metallic surface by a photon is 3.6x103 km·s1. (a)
What is the wavelength of the ejected electron? (b) No electrons are emitted from the surface of the
metal until the frequency of the radiation reaches 2.50x1016 Hz. How much energy is required to
remove the electron from the metal surface? (c) What is the wavelength of the radiation that caused
the photo-ejection of the electron? (d) What kind of electromagnetic radiation was used?
Hint: Use the de Broglie equation to solve (a).

1.5 The work function for chromium metal is 4.37 eV. What radiation wavelength must be used to
eject electrons with a velocity of 1.5x103 km·s-1?

Exercise 2: Quantum numbers

2.1 How many orbitals are in subshells with l equal to
(a) 0; (b) 2; (c) 1; (d) 3
2.2 (a) How many subshells are there for the principal quantum number n = 5?
(b) Identify the subshells in the form 5s, 5p, etc.
(c) How many orbitals are there in the shell with n = 5?
2.3 Write the subshell notation (3d, for instance) and the number of orbitals having the following
quantum numbers:
(a) n = 5, l = 2; (b) n = 1, l = 0; (c) n = 6, l = 3; (d) n = 2, l = 1.
2.4 How many electrons can have the following quantum numbers in an atom:
(a) n = 3, l = 1; (b) n = 5, l = 3, ml = 1; (c) n = 2, l = 1, ml = 0; (d) n = 7?
2.5 Which of the following subshells cannot exist in an atom: (a) 4f; (b) 3f; (c) 5g; (d) 6h?

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General Chemistry Semester 2/2023-2024 Dr. Duong N.H. Nhung

Exercise 3: Atom structure

3.1 Determine whether each of the following electron configurations represents the ground state or an
excited state of the atom given.

3.2 Which of the following statements are true for many-electron atoms? If false, explain why.
(a) The effective nuclear charge Zeff is independent of the number of electrons present in an atom.
(b) Electrons in an s-orbital are more effective than those in other orbitals at shielding other electrons
from the nuclear charge because an electron in an s-orbital can penetrate to the nucleus of the atom.
(c) Electrons having l 2 are better at shielding than electrons having l 1.
(d) Zeff for an electron in a p-orbital is lower than for an electron in an s-orbital in the same shell.
Hint: Zeff is the effective atomic number corresponding to each electron. The higher Zeff, the easier the
electron can penetrate to inner shells.

3.3 For the electrons on a carbon atom in the ground state, decide which of the following statements
are true. If false, explain why.
(a) Zeff for an electron in a 1s-orbital is the same as Zeff for an electron in a 2s-orbital.
(b) Zeff for an electron in a 2s-orbital is the same as Zeff for an electron in a 2p-orbital.
(c) An electron in the 2s-orbital has the same energy as an electron in the 2p-orbital.
(d) The electrons in the 2p-orbitals have spin quantum numbers ms of opposite sign.
(e) The electrons in the 2s-orbital have the same value of the quantum number ms.

3.4 How many unpaired electrons are predicted for the groundstate configuration of each of the
following atoms: (a) C; (b) Ar; (c) V; (d) Ir; (e) Cu
Try not to use the periodic table in this question. Notice that there is an unusual phenomenon in the
electron configuration of copper. Can you explain it?

3.5 Give the notation for the valence-shell configuration (including the outermost d-electrons) of
(a) the alkali metals; (b) Group 15/V elements;
(c) Group 5 transition metals; (d) “coinage” metals (Cu, Ag, Au),
(e) the halogens; (f) the chalcogens (the Group 16/VI elements);
(g) the transition metals in Group 5; (h) the Group 14/IV elements.

3.6 Of the following sets of four quantum numbers {n, l, ml, ms}, identify the ones that are forbidden
for an electron in an atom and explain why they are invalid:
(a) {4, 2, –1, + 1/2} (b) {5, 0, –1, + 1/2} (c) {4 , 4, –1, + 1/2}
(d) {2, 2, –1, + 1/2} (e) {6, 6, 0, + 1/2} (f) {5 , 4, +5, + 1/2}

3.7 Write the subshell notation (3d, for instance) and the number of electrons that can have the
following quantum numbers if all the orbitals of that subshell are filled:
(a) n = 4, l = 1; (b) n = 5, l = 0; (c) n = 6, l = 2; (d) n = 7, l = 3.

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General Chemistry Semester 2/2023-2024 Dr. Duong N.H. Nhung

BONUS (answer separately on the google form)

Watch the movie Oppenheimer (2023) directed by Christopher Nolan and answer the
following question
1. Mechanism of Trinity bomb?
2. There’s a saying “knowledge is power”. How do you think about this saying after
watching the movie. You think this type of power is good or bad?
3. 3 things that you like the most about the movie and life of Oppenheimer?