The net potential energy between two adjacent ions, EN, may be represented by the sum of Equations

Question:

The net potential energy between two adjacent ions, EN, may be represented by the sum of Equations 2.8 and 2.9; that is,

Calculate the bonding energy E0 in terms of the parameters A, B, and n using the following procedure:
a. Differentiate EN with respect to r, and then set the resulting expression equal to zero, since the curve of EN versus r is a minimum at E0.
b. Solve for r in terms of A, B, and n, which yields r0, the equilibrium interionic spacing.
c. Determine the expression for E0 by substitution of r0 into Equation 2.11.