Question

Write equations that show the processes that describe the first, second, and third ionization energies for a gaseous iron atom.

Answer 1

The ionization energy of an element is the amount of energy required to remove one mole of electrons from the element in its gaseous state. The equations for the first three are:

Fe(g) → Fe⁺(g) + e⁻

Fe⁺(g) → Fe⁺²(g) + e⁻

Fe⁺²(g) → Fe⁺³(g) + e