Question

The ionization energies required to remove successive electrons from one mole of calcium atoms are 590 kJ/mol, 1145 kJ/mol, 4912 kJ/mol, and 6474 kJ/mol. The most common ion of calcium is probably

Answer 1

Answer:

Ca^2+

Explanation:

As we know, more energy is required to remove an electron from a positively charged ion than is required to remove an electron from a neutral atom. Hence, the second ionization energy of calcium is greater than its first ionization energy.

However, the third and fourth ionization energies of calcium are much higher than the second ionization energy because they involve removal of electrons from an inner filed shell. This process requires a lot of energy and is often not feasible.

Hence, the most common ion of calcium must be Ca^2+ where only two electrons are removed from calcium.