Question

Question: Of the following materials, which would you expect to be paramagnetic and which diamagnetic: aluminum, copper, copper chloride (${\mathbf{Cucl}}_{\mathbf{2}}$), carbon, lead, nitrogen (${\mathbf{N}}_{\mathbf{2}}$), salt ($\mathbf{Nacl}$ ), sodium, sulfur, water? (Actually, copper is slightly diamagnetic; otherwise, they're all what you'd expect.)

Short answer

Carbon, lead nitrogen, sodium chloride, sulfur and water are diamagnetic.

Copper, copper chloride, aluminium and sodium are paramagnetic.

Step-by-step solution

What is paramagnetic and diamagnetic material.

The diamagnetic material creates a field opposite to the external field and, in the absence of the external magnetic field, does not retain the magnetism.

These materials have weak and negative magnetic material susceptibility. These materials contain an even number of electrons.

The paramagnetic material produces a field in the direction of the external magnetic field. This material gets weakly magnetized in the external field and has positive but small susceptibility. These materials contain an even number of electrons.

Find the paramagnetic and diamagnetic material.

Carbon, lead nitrogen, sodium chloride, sulphur and water contain an even number of electrons; therefore, there are diamagnetic.

Copper, copper chloride, aluminium and sodium contain an odd number of electrons; therefore, there are paramagnetic.