Answered

Which of the following chemical equations refers to the SECOND ionization of Al?
A. Al(s) + 2e⁻ → Al²⁻(s)
B. Al⁺(g) → Al²⁺(g) + e⁻
C. Al(g) → Al²⁺(g) + 2e⁻
D. Al(s) → Al⁺(s) + e⁻
E. Al²⁺(g) + e⁻ → Al⁺(g)



Answer :

Answer:

B. Al⁺(g) → Al²⁺(g) + e⁻

Explanation:

Ionization energy refers to the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an element. For example, the first ionization energy is how much energy is required to remove the first electron in the outmost electron shell, the second ionization energy is how much energy is required to remove the second electron in the outmost electron shell, and so on:

  • We can eliminate A and D because the equations have electrons on the left side of the equation, which is incorrect since we are not adding electrons in ionization
  • We can eliminate C because it accounts for both the first AND second ionization by removing the 2 outer electrons at once
  • We can eliminate D because the equation only removes 1 electron, which only accounts for the first ionization

Choice B is the correct answer because we start the equation with the first electron already gone, meaning the equation refers to only the second ionization of Al, which is what the question asks for.