Chapter 24- Transition Elements Flashcards
what are the d block elements
they are the elements located between group 2 and group 13
they have their highest energy electron in a D-subshell
what are 4 physical properties that they all have
- high mpt and bpt
- metallic
- shiny
- electrically conductive
what is the important to note about the way that the d block elements fill their electron shells
the 4s subshell fills before the 3d subshell as it ends up being at a lower energy level
how do the d block elements lose their electrons
outside inwards, the 4s electrons are lost before the 3d electrons
define what a transition element is
“Transition elements are d-block elements which form one or more stable ions which have an incompletely filled d subshell”
why are Zn2+ and Sc3+ not transition elements
zinc only forms a 2+ ion, this 2+ ion has a completely filled 3d10 subshell - this breaks both rules
Scandium only forms a 3+ ion, this has a completely empty 3d0 subshell- this breaks both rules
what are the exceptions on the filling rules for electron shells
Chromium and Copper:
Cr: 1s2, 2s2, 2p6, 3s2, 3p6, 4s1, 3d5
Cu: 1s2, 2s2, 2p6, 3s2, 3p6, 4s1, 3d10
why do these exceptions on electron configuration occur
it’s more stable to have:
- half filled 4s and half filled 3d
- half filled 4s and filled 3d
name the three key properties of transition metals
- variable oxidation states
- good catalysts
- colourful compounds
what is a species with a transition element in its highest oxidation state usually
- a good oxidising agent
what does the system ‘want’ to happen when forming an ionic compound
- it’s most stable if more energy is released
- think lattice enthalpy and Born-Haber cycles
What are the two main processes we should consider when explaining why transition elements have variable oxidation states
- lattice enthalpy/enthalpy of hydration– a greater charge will mean a greater lattice enthalpy- more energy released
- energy required to ionise the element– a greater charge will mean more energy is required to remove/add electrons - think electron affinities and ionisation energies
what is the toss-up when considering variable oxidation states
- forming a higher oxidation state means more energy is required to form a higher charged ion
BUT - this means more energy is released on forming the compound or dissolving
Why does this toss-up not have as much of an effect with the transition elements leading to multiple oxidation states
- The 4s and 3d orbitals have very similar energies
- There isn’t a huge jump in the amount of energy required to remove a 3rd election
- then any further ionisations in the d orbital don’t require much energy
- The net effect of this is it often doesn’t matter which oxidation state occurs in a compound, the net energy release is similar
what is a good phrase to learn when explaining variable oxidation states
” transition elements have variable oxidation states because the energy difference between the 4s and 3d subshells is small, this means different numbers of electrons can be lost or gained for a similar net energy change”
Give 3 examples of colourful transition element compounds and why (briefly) does this occur
- K2Cr2O7 = orange
- CoCl2 = pink-purple
- NiSO4 = green
- the reason for these bright colours is linked to partially filled d subshells
define a complex ion
“A complex ion is a metal ion surrounded by coordinately bonded ligands”
Define what a ligand is
“A ligand is a molecule or Ion that donates a pair of electrons to a central metal ion to form a coordinate bond. They have an active lone pair in their highest energy level”
define coordination number
“The coordination number is the number of coordinate bonds with the metal ion”
NOT the number of ligands
what to remember when drawing complex ions
the bonds are coordinate, make them arrows
how do we work out the charge on a complex ion
charge on the complex ion = charge on the metal ion + (sum of) charges on ligands
what is the shape and angles of a complex ion with a coordination number of 6 and which ligands does this usually occur with
- octahedral shape
- all angles are 90 degrees
- usually occurs with small ions e.g. H2O, CN-, NH3
what is the shape of a complex ion with a coordination number of 2 and what are the examples of when this happens
- forms a linear shape
- rare
- occurs only with Cu+ and Ag+ because they’re small ions
- angles are 180 degrees
what is the most common shape for complex ions with a coordination number of 4, why does this happen
- tetrahedral
- angles of 109.5 degrees
- usually occurs with bigger ligands e.g. Cl-
what is the less common shape for complex ions with a coordination number of 4, why does this occur
- square planar
- four 90 degree angles
- occurs only with Ni, Pt, Pd(II), Au(III)
what is a monodentate ligand
- a ligand which only forms 1 coordinate bond with the central metal ion
- occasionally they have more than 1 lone pair e.g. H2O but this still only forms one bond
give some examples of monodentate ligands
H2O, NH3, Cl-, CN-, OH-
what is a bidentate ligand
- a ligand which forms 2 coordinate bonds with the central metal ion
give 2 examples of bidentate ligands
1,2, diaminoethane
(NH2)(CH2)(CH2)(NH2)
ethandioate ion
COOCOO