---
title: "A student analyzes the photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) data for neutral boron (\\(\\text{B}\\)) atoms shown in the table below and attempts to predict the PES spectrum for neutral carbon (\\(\\text{C}\\)) atoms.  | Subshell | Binding energy (\\(\\text{MJ/mol}\\)) | | :—: | :—: | | \\(1s\\) | \\(19.3\\) | | \\(2s\\) | \\(1.36\\) | | \\(2p\\) | \\(0.80\\) |  Which of the following statements correctly predicts and justifies the relative binding energy of the \\(2p\\) electrons in \\(\\text{C}\\) compared to the \\(2p\\) electrons in \\(\\text{B}\\)?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119573/"
date_modified: "2026-08-21T06:53:56+00:00"
---

# A student analyzes the photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) data for neutral boron (\(\text{B}\)) atoms shown in the table below and attempts to predict the PES spectrum for neutral carbon (\(\text{C}\)) atoms.

| Subshell | Binding energy (\(\text{MJ/mol}\)) |
| :—: | :—: |
| \(1s\) | \(19.3\) |
| \(2s\) | \(1.36\) |
| \(2p\) | \(0.80\) |

Which of the following statements correctly predicts and justifies the relative binding energy of the \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{C}\) compared to the \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{B}\)?

A student analyzes the photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) data for neutral boron (\(\text{B}\)) atoms shown in the table below and attempts to predict the PES spectrum for neutral carbon (\(\text{C}\)) atoms.

| Subshell | Binding energy (\(\text{MJ/mol}\)) |
| :---: | :---: |
| \(1s\) | \(19.3\) |
| \(2s\) | \(1.36\) |
| \(2p\) | \(0.80\) |

Which of the following statements correctly predicts and justifies the relative binding energy of the \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{C}\) compared to the \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{B}\)?

- **A.** The \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{C}\) have a lower binding energy than those in \(\text{B}\) because the additional valence electron in \(\text{C}\) increases electron-electron repulsions in the \(2p\) subshell, making the electrons easier to remove.
- **B.** The \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{C}\) have a lower binding energy than those in \(\text{B}\) because the additional valence electron in \(\text{C}\) provides extra shielding between the nucleus and the other valence electrons.
- **C.** The \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{C}\) have a greater binding energy than those in \(\text{B}\) because \(\text{C}\) has a greater total mass and number of electrons, which strengthens intermolecular dispersion forces holding the electrons.
- **D.** The \(2p\) electrons in \(\text{C}\) have a greater binding energy than those in \(\text{B}\) because the \(\text{C}\) nucleus has a greater positive charge with similar core-electron shielding, resulting in a stronger Coulombic attraction to the valence electrons.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119573/*