Magnesium Paramagnetic or Diamagnetic

Using orbital diagrams, determine whether magnesium (atomic number 12) is paramagnetic or diamagnetic.

When approaching the problem of determining whether an atom is paramagnetic or diamagnetic, it's crucial to understand the electronic configuration of the atom. Paramagnetic substances have one or more unpaired electrons, whereas diamagnetic substances have all electrons paired. Therefore, the first step in solving this problem is to write the electron configuration of magnesium, which has an atomic number of 12. Following the aufbau principle, electrons are filled into orbitals in order of increasing energy, and understanding the specific arrangement of electrons allows us to diagram the orbital occupancy.

For magnesium, its electron configuration is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s². All the electrons are paired, indicating that magnesium is diamagnetic. Visualizing these electron pairs using orbital diagrams involves drawing up and down arrows to represent the spin of the electrons within their respective orbitals. The orbital diagrams effectively illustrate that there are no unpaired electrons in magnesium, confirming its diamagnetic nature.

This type of problem lies within the realm of atomic structure, focusing on how electrons occupy orbitals and how this impacts the magnetic properties of the element. Such problems require a solid grasp of quantum mechanics principles, especially those related to atomic orbitals, electron spin, and the Pauli exclusion principle. Understanding these principles helps bridge the concepts between chemical and physical properties in quantum mechanics.