Question

Which of the following elements will exhibit similar magnetic behaviour and why?

Magnesium (Atomic No. 12), Chromium (Atomic No. 24), Iron (Atomic No. 26) and Molybdenum (Atomic No. 42).

Answer 1

Chromium [Ar]3d⁵4s¹ and Molybdenum [Kr]4d⁵5s¹ have similar electronic configurations. Both contain six unpaired electrons, so they show the same paramagnetic behaviour. Therefore, chromium and molybdenum exhibit similar magnetic properties.