JEE Advanced levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 3 of 3df215
Atomic numbers: Eu 63, Tb 65, Gd 64, Cm 96, Am 95, Bk 97. Ground states: Eu 4f76s2, Tb 4f96s2, Cm 5f76d17s2, Am 5f77s2, Bk 5f97s2. In which pair do both ions have the same number of f electrons?
ATbX3+ and BkX4+
BEuX3+ and CmX3+
CEuX2+ and CmX3+
DGdX3+ and AmX3+
Answer: C
EuX2+ is 4f7 and CmX3+ is 5f7, the same count. In the other pairs the counts are: GdX3+4f7 vs AmX3+5f6; TbX3+4f8 vs BkX4+5f7; EuX3+4f6 vs CmX3+5f7, all different.