The energy of a one-electron atom is given by where Z is the atomic number of the element. Which of the following one-electron ions has the largest ionization energy? A)Li² ^ B)Be³ ^ C)He ^ D)B⁴ ^ E)C⁵ ^

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ionization energy is defined as the energy required to remove an electron from an atom or ion. For the given one-electron ions, the ionization energy is simply the energy of the atom (given by the expression in the question) with one less electron.

Therefore, we need to choose the ion with the highest energy expression. We notice that all ions have the same energy expression except for the value of Z (atomic number). Since Z is the highest for the ion in choice E (carbon with Z=6), it has the highest energy and therefore the highest ionization energy.

The Energy of a One-Electron Atom Is Given by