The energy of a one-electron atom or ion is given by ,where Z is the atomic number of the element.Which of the following one-electron ions would require the most energy to remove its electron?

Question

The energy of a one-electron atom or ion is given by  ,where Z is the atomic number of the element.Which of the following one-electron ions would require the most energy to remove its electron?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We need to find the ion that requires the most energy to remove its electron. This means we need to find the ion with the highest energy level. The energy level of the electron in the atom or ion is given by the value of n, the principal quantum number. The higher the value of n, the higher the energy level of the electron. The ion with the highest energy level will have the highest value of n. Looking at the answer choices, we can see that the ion with the highest value of n is the ion with an atomic number of 6, or carbon. For carbon, the energy is given by: E = -13.6 eV * (6^2) / (1^2) = -122.4 eV For all the other ions given, the energy will be lower because they have smaller atomic numbers and therefore lower values of n. Therefore, the answer is (E) C⁵⁺.

The Energy of a One-Electron Atom or Ion Is Given