Question

Which of the following atoms in its ground state has the highest number of unpaired electrons?
(Atomic numbers are given in brackets)

• A. Chromium $ (24) $
• B. Iron $ (26) $
• C. Manganese $ (25) $
• D. Vanadium $ (23) $

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Chromium $(3d^{5}\,4s^{-1})-6$ unpaired electrons
Iron $(3d^{6}4s^{2})-4$ unpaired electrons
Manganese $(3d^{5}4s^{2})-5$ unpaired electrons
Vanadium $(3d^{3}3s^{2})-3$ unpaired electrons