Back to Directory
NEET CHEMISTRYMedium

Paramagnetic species among the following is:

A

CO\text{CO}

B

O2\text{O}_2^-

C

CN\text{CN}^-

D

NO+\text{NO}^+

Step-by-Step Solution

According to Molecular Orbital Theory, species with unpaired electrons are paramagnetic. Let us calculate the total number of electrons for each species:

  • CO\text{CO}: 6 (C)+8 (O)=146 \text{ (C)} + 8 \text{ (O)} = 14 electrons. It has no unpaired electrons and is diamagnetic.
  • O2\text{O}_2^-: 16 (O2)+1=1716 \text{ (O}_2\text{)} + 1 = 17 electrons. Its electronic configuration is σ1s2σ1s2σ2s2σ2s2σ2pz2(π2px2=π2py2)(π2px2=π2py1)\sigma 1s^2 \sigma^* 1s^2 \sigma 2s^2 \sigma^* 2s^2 \sigma 2p_z^2 (\pi 2p_x^2 = \pi 2p_y^2) (\pi^* 2p_x^2 = \pi^* 2p_y^1). It has 1 unpaired electron in the antibonding π\pi^* orbital, making it paramagnetic.
  • CN\text{CN}^-: 6 (C)+7 (N)+1=146 \text{ (C)} + 7 \text{ (N)} + 1 = 14 electrons. It has no unpaired electrons and is diamagnetic.
  • NO+\text{NO}^+: 7 (N)+8 (O)1=147 \text{ (N)} + 8 \text{ (O)} - 1 = 14 electrons. It has no unpaired electrons and is diamagnetic. Therefore, O2\text{O}_2^- is the only paramagnetic species among the given options.
Practice Mode Available

Master this Topic on Sushrut

Join thousands of students and practice with AI-generated mock tests.

Get Started