JEE Advanced levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 3 of 3df210
Atomic numbers: U 92, Np 93, Pu 94, Am 95, with ground-state configurations 5f36d17s2, 5f46d17s2, 5f67s2 and 5f77s2 respectively. Among the tripositive ions of these four elements, the one with the largest spin-only magnetic moment is
AAmX3+
BNpX3+
CUX3+
DPuX3+
Answer: A
Remove three electrons in each case: UX3+ is 5f3, NpX3+ is 5f4, PuX3+ is 5f5 and AmX3+ is 5f6. Unpaired electrons are 3, 4, 5 and 6, giving 3.87, 4.9, 5.92 and 6.93 BM respectively. AmX3+ is the largest.