Pairing energy is described as?

Pairing energy refers to the energy associated with the interaction of electrons when they are paired in the same orbital. This energy is generally considered to be destabilizing because, according to Coulomb’s law, like charges repel each other. When two electrons occupy the same orbital, they must also account for their spins, which means they have to be paired with opposite spins. This pairing induces an increase in energy due to the repulsive electrostatic interactions between the two negatively charged electrons.

Understanding pairing energy is essential in the context of electron configurations in atoms. When there is a choice between placing electrons in the same orbital (pairing them) versus occupying additional available orbitals (unpaired), the pairing energy becomes a significant factor. In such cases, minimizing energy often leads to configurations where electron pairing is avoided until necessary, which explains why certain elements exhibit varying magnetic properties based on their electron configurations.

The other options do not accurately describe the concept of pairing energy. A stabilizing interaction does not apply here as the pairing of electrons increases system energy. The description regarding energy given off when electrons are added to empty orbitals pertains instead to electron affinity, not pairing energy. Finally, energy required to remove an electron from a filled orbital relates to ionization energy, which