Textbook Problem

Which of the following statements is correct and provides the best explanation when removing the first two electrons from calcium?

Energy is released when either electron comes off because calcium is a metal and not very electronegative.

It takes less energy to remove the second electron from calcium compared with the first because calcium wants to have eight electrons in its outer shell (and thus have a noble gas configuration.

It takes less energy to remove the first electron compared with the second because it is in a higher energy level than the second electron.

Electrons cannot be removed from calcium because it is a metal and only wants to gain electrons to become more stable.

It takes more energy to remove the second electron compared with the first because the nucleus binds the electrons more tightly as each electron is removed.