Chemistry

Problem

Two separate photoelectron spectra are collected for an unknown gaseous element—one for the neutral atom and one for the corresponding

+2

cation. The neutral spectrum shows peaks with relative heights 2, 2, 6, 2, 6, 2 when ordered from highest to lowest binding energy. In the

+2

spectrum, the lowest-binding-energy peak is absent, while all other peak heights are unchanged. A mass-spectrometric analysis of the same sample reports a single isotopic mass of approximately

40\,\text{amu}

. Which isotope is most consistent with the combined data? a)

^{40}\text{Ar}

^{40}\text{Ca}

^{40}\text{K}

^{40}\text{Ti}

Browse the problem library