what does phenomenon of paramagnetism mean?

Answer 1

Paramagnetic materials have a large magnetic moment. In practical terms, it means that materials that exhibit paramagnetism are attracted to magnetic fields. For example, liquid oxygen is paramagnetic and will be attracted to a magnet. Liquid nitrogen is NOT paramagnetic, and won't be attracted to a magnet.

One reason that chemists care about paramagnetism (particularly from the viewpoint of a general chemistry class) is that it can tell us something about the electronic structure of a chemical. A paramagnetic substance has at least one unpaired electron in its electron configuration or electron orbital diagram. For example, an aluminum atom is paramagnetic. It's electron configuration is 1s2 2s2 2p1. The unpaired electron in the 2p orbital is what makes aluminum atoms paramagnetic. However, neon is not paramagnetic because all its electrons are paired up in orbitals... 1s2 2s2 2p6.

Substances that have all of their electrons "paired up" aren't paramagnetic...they're called diamagnetic. They won't be attracted to a magnet...in fact, to a limited degree they are slightly repelled by a magnet.

Hope this gives you a better feel for what paramagnetism is and why it's talked about in chem class.

Answer 2

High magnetic moment due to electrons aligned in one direction and unpaired.