Question

Which one of the elements with the following outer orbital configurations may exhibit the largest number of oxidation states?

• A. $3d^{5}4s^1$
• B. $3d^{5}4s^2$
• C. $3d^{2}4s^2$
• D. $3d^{3}4s^2$

Answer 1

The correct option is B $3d^{5}4s^2$

The answer is (B)

The number of oxidation states that a d block element can exhibit is the number of unpaired electrons and number of electrons in s-orbitals of that element in its ground state configuration.

$3d^{5}4s^2$ configuration exhibites greater number of oxidation states.