Here are some crystal field representations of d electrons in an octahedral field: Choose the representation that fits the transition metal atom in the following species.
-Fe(OH₂) ₆³⁺ (assume weak field)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The given complex is in weak field, which means that the d electrons are not significantly affected by the ligand field. Therefore, we can use the high spin octahedral crystal field splitting diagram, where the five d orbitals are split into two sets, one with higher energy (dxy, dyz, dzx) and the other with lower energy (dx2-y2, dz2). In option C, the d set of the higher energy is 4-fold degenerate, which matches with the high spin splitting diagram. Options A, B, D, and E have different numbers of electrons in the lower set of energy, which indicates a low spin complex.

Here Are Some Crystal Field Representations of D Electrons in an Octahedral