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Why is it less energetically favorable for nitrogen to gain an electron than for carbon?

A. Nitrogen has a lower effective nuclear charge than carbon, making it less energetically favorable to gain an electron.

B. Nitrogen is closer to being isoelectronic with a noble gas, which have very positive electron attachment enthalpies.

C. Nitrogen has a half-full p subshell and an added electron experiences high electron repulsion, decreasing the stability.

D. Nitrogen is larger than carbon, so added electrons are farther from the nucleus, experiencing a lower effective nuclear charge.

E. More than one of the above explains the exception.

Answer :

The question relates to the concept of electron affinity, which is the energy change that occurs when an electron is added to a neutral atom. It's an important concept in understanding the stability and electron configurations of elements.

Let's analyze the options:

A. This statement is incorrect. Nitrogen actually has a greater effective nuclear charge than carbon because both have the same number of inner electrons shielding the outer ones, and nitrogen has more protons.

B. This statement is incorrect. Although nitrogen is closer to being isoelectronic with a noble gas, it's not related to why electron gain is less favorable.

C. This statement is correct. Nitrogen has a half-full p subshell (2p3 configuration). Adding another electron would cause electron-electron repulsion in the relatively stable half-full state, decreasing its energy stability.

D. This statement is incorrect. Nitrogen is not larger than carbon; it is actually smaller.

E. Incorrect, as only option C explains the situation adequately.

Thus, the correct answer is C. Nitrogen's half-full p subshell means adding an electron causes repulsion due to reduced stability in such configuration.

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