The successive ionization enthalpies (in kJ mol ⁻¹ ) of an element 'M' are given below: IE₁ = 577 IE₂ = 1816 IE₃ = 2744 IE₄ = 11577 IE₅ = 14842 Based on this data, what will be the formula of the most stable oxide formed by element M?

Step-by-step solution

The successive ionization enthalpies of element M are given as: IE₁ = 577 kJ mol ⁻¹ IE₂ = 1816 kJ mol ⁻¹ IE₃ = 2744 kJ mol ⁻¹ IE₄ = 11577 kJ mol ⁻¹ IE₅ = 14842 kJ mol ⁻¹ There is a sudden large jump in the ionization enthalpy between IE₃ and IE₄ . This indicates that the removal of the fourth electron requires a very high amount of energy, which means the fourth electron is being removed from a stable noble gas core. Thus, element M has 3 valence electrons and its most stable oxidation state is +3 . The formula of