Which figure represents the orbital in which the highest energy electron resides for the ground-state Sn+ (Z = 50) ion?

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Question restated: Which figure represents the orbital in which the highest energy electron resides for the ground-state Sn+ (Z = 50) ion?

First, identify the electronic configuration of Sn in the ground state and for Sn+. Tin (Sn) has atomic number 50. Its neutral electron configuration ends with 5p2, specifically [Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p2. When it loses one electron to form Sn+ (Z = 50, +1 charge), the removed electron comes from the highest occupied subshell, which is the 5p orbital. Therefore, the highest energy electron in Sn+ resides in a 5p orbital, i.e., a p-type orbital.

Next, evaluate the shapes of the options to map them to orbital types:
- Option (b): The diagram shows a solid sphere, which corresponds to an s orbital (spherical symmetry). S orbitals are lowest in angular momentum and have no lobes, just a sphere.
- Option (d): This figure looks like a four-lobed clover shape, which is characteristic of a d orbital (l = 2) with four lobes arranged in a plane or along axes. D orbitals have more complex shapes than p orbitals.
- Option (e): The depicted shape resembles a single-lobed teardrop or a dumbbell with an attached small region; this does not match the standard two-lobed p orbital and may correspond to an unusual or misrepresented shape not typical for a basic orbital type.
- Option (a): This figure shows a two-lobed dumbbell oriented vertically with a small central constriction; this is a common depiction for a p orbital; p orbitals inherently have two lobes on opposite sides of the nucleus with a nodal plane at the nucleus.
- Option (c): This shape also appears as a two-lobed dumbbell oriented along the vertical axis, another standard representation of a p orbital; depending on depiction conventions, it may emphasize a different orientation or phase but still corresponds to a p-type orbital.

Why the correct orbital type is a p orbital:
- The highest energy electron in Sn+ occupies the 5p subshell (n = 5, l = 1). P orbitals have the characteristic two-lobed shape with a node at the nucleus, consistent with a higher angular momentum than s but lower than d or f in the same principal quantum level context.
- Since the task is to identify the orbital type from the pictorial representations, the p orbital shapes are the ones that match the two-lobed dumbbell diagrams, typically labeled as options that visually depict two opposite lobes.

Why the other options do not represent the correct highest-energy orbital:
- The spherical shape (b) corresponds to an s orbital, not the highest-energy p orbital relevant here.
- The four-lobed clover (d) represents a d orbital, which has higher angular momentum and different symmetry than a p orbital.
- The teardrop-like depiction (e) does not conform to the standard two-lobed p orbital shape and may be misleading relative to canonical orbital shapes.
- If a two-lobed depiction appears (a) or (c), those are both consistent with p orbitals; however, relative emphasis or orientation in these sketches does not change the fundamental identification as p-type. The key distinction is that they are not s or d shapes.

Summary: The highest energy electron in the ground-state Sn+ ion resides in a 5p orbital, and the illustrations that depict the two-lobed p-type orbital correspond to the correct orbital class among the options provided. The remaining shapes correspond to s (b) or d (d) orbitals, or are inconsistent representations (e) for a typical p orbital, which do not match the highest-energy electron’s orbital type.

Which figure represents the orbital in which the highest energy electron resides for the ground-state Sn+ (Z = 50) ion?

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