Q

QuestionChemistry

To answer this question, we need to understand the basics of atomic structure and electron configuration. An atom consists of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons. The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons, which is the atomic number of the element. The electron configuration of an atom is the arrangement of electrons in an atom. Electrons are arranged in shells or energy levels around the nucleus. Each shell can hold a fixed number of electrons, with the first shell holding up to 2 electrons and subsequent shells holding up to 8 electrons. Copper has an atomic number of 29, which means it has 29 electrons. The electron configuration of copper in its ground state is 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s¹ 3d¹⁰. However, copper can lose electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.

Copper can lose either one or two electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration. When copper loses one electron, it forms a + 1 ion, with the electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰. This is a stable configuration, since the 3d shell is full. When copper loses two electrons, it forms a + 2 ion, with the electron configuration 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d⁹. This is also a stable configuration, since the 3d shell now contains only one electron, which is half-filled and therefore stable. Therefore, copper ions have two common charges, + 1 and + 2, due to the different stable electron configurations that copper can achieve by losing one or two electrons.