CH 223

Chapter 19 Study Guide

Transition Metals

1. Identify the transition metals and explain their general properties

a. The transition metals are those elements found within a rectangle with scandium, zinc,
lutetium, and mercury at its corners (technically, the elements between lawrencium and
copernicium are included as well, but these synthetic elements are so rare they can be
ignored)
b. Transition metals form cations with irregular oxidation states
c. In transition metal ions, all valence electrons are held in the d orbitals - the s orbitals are
empty

Transition Metal Complexes

1. Apply the nomenclature of transition metal complexes, including the definitions of the terms
“complex,” “coordinate bond” “ligand,” “coordination number,” and “denticity”
a. A transition metal complex (“complex”) is a species formed by a metal atom/ion, to which
several other atoms are bonded, which may themselves be further bonded to other atoms
b. These bonds are known as coordinate bonds, and are formed by the donation of electron
pairs to the metal (Lewis acd)
c. A ligand (Lewis base) is an atom, ion, or molecule that donates an electron pair to a
metal, forming a coordinate bond
d. Coordination number is the number of atoms to which a metal is bonded in a complex
e. Coordination number is not necessarily the same as the number of ligands, as a ligand
may form multiple bonds to a metal from different atoms. The number of bonds a ligand
makes to a metal is known as its denticity
f. Practice Problems: 19.26

2. Describe the common coordination numbers of complexes, and the geometries they adopt
a. The most common coordination numbers are 2, 4, and 6
b. A complex with a coordination number of two will always adopt a linear geometry
c. A complex with a coordination number of six will always adopt an octahedral geometry
d. A complex with a coordination number of four may adopt either a tetrahedral or square
planar geometry

3. Determine the name of a coordination compound from its formula, or vice versa
a. Many coordination compounds are ionic, and in these cases, the name of the cation must
be given before the name of the anion. A complex ion may be either the cation or the
anion.
b. In naming a complex ion, ligands are listed before the metal, in alphabetical order.
Prefixes are used to indicate the number of each ligand. Ligand name endings change to
“o”
c. If the complex is an anion, its name ends in “ate,” and the Latin name for the element is
used if different (for iron, gold, silver, copper, mercury, and tungsten)
d. The oxidation state of the metal is indicated in roman numerals after the metal’s name
e. Practice Problems: 19.27
 4. Differentiate between the types of isomerism (linkage, coordination sphere, geometric, and
optical) that occur in transition metal complexes
a. Coordination sphere isomerism occurs when two compounds with the same overall
formula place an ionic ligand in or out of the coordination sphere, respectively
b. Linkage isomerism occurs when a ligand can bind a metal center in multiple possible
ways
c. Geometric isomerism occurs when ligands are arranged differently in space
d. Optical isomerism occurs when two complexes are non-superimposable mirror images of
each other
e. Practice Problems: 19.30

Crystal Field Theory

1. Draw energy level diagrams for tetrahedral and octahedral transition metal complexes
a. In octahedral complexes, the d orbitals of a transition metal are split into three lower and
two higher orbitals.
b. In tetrahedral complexes, there are two lower and three higher orbitals

2. Identify complexes as low-spin or high-spin and apply the concepts of high and low spin
a. In a low-spin complex, the energy gap in the d orbitals is large enough that electrons pair
their spins in the lower orbitals before filling in upper orbitals
b. In a high-spin complex, the energy gap is small enough that electrons do not pair up until
all five d orbitals are singly occupied.
c. Practice Problems: 19.41

3. Understand why many transition metal complexes are brilliantly colored, and be able to relate
wavelengths of absorbed light to the electronic structure of these complexes
a. Transition metal complexes are brilliantly colored because the arrangement of ligands
around a metal “splits” the d orbitals of the metal, creating an energy gap between them.
In many complexes, this energy gap matches the energy of a visible photon
b. The energy of a photon is related to its frequency by E = hν (ν in s -1, E in J)
c. Converting E from J to eV gives a measure of the energy gap in a complex
d. Practice Problems: 19.48