Strength comparison of Para/Dia-magnetism

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
2 replies · 2K views
AGNuke
Gold Member
Messages
455
Reaction score
9
Which one of the following weighs less when weighted in magnetic field?

A>SnCl3
B>FeCl3
C>TiCl3
D>VCl3

This is the question I encountered in my Chemistry Olympiad. While I went with B, my institute published answer as A.

What I deduced is that A is diamagnetic while the rest are paramagnetic, if we look at the respective cation's electronic configuration.

If I am right, diamagnetism is the virtue of every substance and thus, it is rare to observe its effect compared to paramagnetism. I also think that Fe3+ is a good paramagnet, owing to 5 unpaired electrons.

This question poses one dilemma - which property is more profound. Obviously, whatever effect is more profound can cause the substance to react to magnetic field and give apparent weight less than actual weight. (Magnetic field supposedly set that way)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
No. All the species were neutral. But I don't think that diamagnetism is as profound effect as paramagnetism.