According to the sources, isoelectronic species are atoms and ions that contain the same number of electrons . To determine if a pair is isoelectronic, we calculate the electron count for each ion based on its atomic number (Z) and its charge:
- Mn2+ and Fe3+: Manganese (Z=25) loses two electrons to have 23, and Iron (Z=26) loses three electrons to have 23. They are isoelectronic .
- Fe2+ and Mn2+: Fe2+ has 26−2=24 electrons, while Mn2+ has 25−2=23 electrons. Because their electron counts differ, they are not isoelectronic .
- O2– and F–: Oxygen (Z=8) gains two and Fluorine (Z=9) gains one; both result in 10 electrons .
- Na+ and Mg2+: Sodium (Z=11) loses one and Magnesium (Z=12) loses two; both result in 10 electrons .
Therefore, the pair Fe2+,Mn2+ does not constitute an isoelectronic pair.