
What is a possible electronic structure for an excited Cu(I) ion?

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Correct Answer: D. [Ar] 3d9 4p1
The ground state for Cu is [Ar] 4s1 3d10. Transition metals always lose their valence s electrons before any d electrons, so the ground-state electron configuration for Cu+ [(I) means +1] is [Ar] 3d10. The only excited configuration for Cu+ must be [Ar] 3d9 4p1. An alternate strategy is to look at the number of electrons, as Cu+ has 28, and this helps eliminate A and C as they do not have 28 electrons.
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