With different ligands a particular transition metal ion forms octahedral complexes with either one or three unpaired electrons. How many d electrons are present in the metal?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as Jahn-Teller distortion, which occurs when there is an uneven distribution of ligands around a transition metal ion in an octahedral complex. The distortion causes an energy difference between the eg and t2g orbitals, resulting in different electron configurations. A complex with one unpaired electron has a d5 configuration in the t2g eg* set, while a complex with three unpaired electrons has a d7 configuration in the t2g eg* set. Therefore, the metal ion must have a total of 7 d electrons.

With Different Ligands a Particular Transition Metal Ion Forms Octahedral