Re: Question about shells.

From: Ron Jones (ron_at_ronjones.org.uk)
Date: 11/23/04 

Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 22:39:14 -0000

The Silver Jar... wrote:
> Right i haven't studied any chemistry beyond GCSE (To anyone not in
> the UK that's the compulsory basic stuff upto the age of 16). Nothing
> more advanced than thinking of shells as one complete entity (not
> breaking it down into subshells).
>
> So no college or Uni stuff. So if this question sounds a bit stupid
> then that's why.
>
> Now i read some chemistry stuff because i've always taken an interest
> in the subject and i find it light reading to relieve the monotony of
> history study. Admittedly i don't take it all in because when the
> maths gets involved i get very confused, because maths is not my
> strong point at all.
>
> Anyhow; Now thinking of shell structure if i take Mercury as the
> example here;
>
> Electronic shell configuration of 2:8:18:32:18:2
>
> Now looking at say Cinnabar (HgS), it appears Hg just has to loose the
> two electrons from it's outer shell to become stable, 'happy' or
> whatever.
>
>
> Now at school we were always taught that an atom was to have 8
> electrons in its outer shell to feel complacent. But Hg would have 18
> in its outer shell not 8 if it lost those two on the outer shell.
>
> Now this leads me to conclude (although i'm expecting to be wrong),
> that because the d subshell of the 5th shell is full that the atom is
> happy.
>
> But the confusion comes in it for me when we say take one of the group
> 2 metals that have 2 in the outer shell. Now they want to lose these
> two. But yet the s subshell of that outer shell is full.
>
> So if an s subshell being full has not convinced the atom that it is
> stable why should a full p, d or f subshell?
>
>
> Or have i interpreted it totally wrong?
>
>
> Sylvester.

Maybe, if it's interesting, you should have taken up chemistry! Trouble
with schools, is I found (well in UK anyway), thay always teach some
simplictic idea (because it's easier to get across, or because the teacher
is strugging, because he's only got a third...), and then 2 years on when
you do 'A' levels (or AS of whatever we call 'em now), you go into some
lecture and the guy says, "forget all you were told at 15", I'm going to
show you a better way..., then 2 years further on you get Group Theory and
your brain goes numb... So numb that I've forgotton all of it over the
years - that's the trouble, if you don't need the knowledge then if slowly
fades away, and I hated inorganic chemistry - give me a nice organic
reaction any day. Anyway, I'm sure someone will be along and give you a
full story. 

-- 
-- 
Ron Jones
Don't repeat history, see unreported near misses in chemical lab/plant
at http://www.crhf.org.uk
Quantcast