8. TRANSITION AND INNER TRANSITION ELEMENTS

3. Answer the following

vii. What is meant by diamagnetic and paramagnetic metal ? Give one example of diamagnetic and paramagnetic transition metal and lanthanoid metal.

Answer:-

Diamagnetic and paramagnetic properties are related to the magnetic behavior of materials, including metals, based on the presence or absence of unpaired electrons in their electron configurations:

  1. Diamagnetic Materials:

    • Diamagnetic materials are those that do not have any unpaired electrons in their electron configurations. In these materials, all electrons are paired, resulting in a net magnetic moment of zero.
    • When exposed to an external magnetic field, diamagnetic materials are weakly repelled by the field.
    • Examples of diamagnetic transition metals: Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). Both Cu and Zn have completely filled d orbitals in their ground-state electron configurations, leading to diamagnetic behavior.
  2. Paramagnetic Materials:

    • Paramagnetic materials are those that have one or more unpaired electrons in their electron configurations. These unpaired electrons give rise to a net magnetic moment when the material is exposed to an external magnetic field.
    • Paramagnetic materials are attracted to an external magnetic field.
    • Examples of paramagnetic transition metals: Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Both Fe and Mn have unpaired electrons in their d orbitals, which makes them paramagnetic.

Now, let’s consider examples of diamagnetic and paramagnetic lanthanoid (or lanthanide) metals:

  • Diamagnetic Lanthanoid Metal: Lutetium (Lu) is an example of a diamagnetic lanthanoid metal. Lutetium’s ground-state electron configuration is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹ 6s², which means that all of its 4f electrons are paired, resulting in diamagnetic behavior.

  • Paramagnetic Lanthanoid Metal: Gadolinium (Gd) is an example of a paramagnetic lanthanoid metal. Gadolinium’s ground-state electron configuration is [Xe] 4f⁷ 5d¹ 6s², and it has seven unpaired electrons in its 4f orbitals, making it paramagnetic.

In summary, diamagnetic materials have all paired electrons and are weakly repelled by external magnetic fields, while paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons and are attracted to external magnetic fields. Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) are examples of diamagnetic transition metals, while iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are examples of paramagnetic transition metals. Lutetium (Lu) is a diamagnetic lanthanoid metal, and gadolinium (Gd) is a paramagnetic lanthanoid metal.

Chapter 8. TRANSITION AND INNER TRANSITION ELEMENTS page 191