Transition Elements Flashcards
What is a transition element?
A transition element is an element whose atoms have partially filled d-orbitals or
forms at least one stable cation with partially filled d-orbitals.
Why are Scandium and Zinc not considered transition elements?
• Both the scandium ion (Sc3+) and zinc ion (Zn2+) lack partially filled d-orbitals.
• Both scandium and zinc do not form coloured ions.
• Both scandium and zinc ions are restricted to single oxidation state.
What are the characteristics/ properties of transition elements?
- They have high densities, melting and boiling points.
- They have variable oxidation states.
- They form a variety of complex ions.
- They form coloured ions and compounds.
- They show ability to act as catalysts.
- They show paramagnetism
In what way does the Zinc ion show similarity to those of transition elements?
- Able to form complexes
Why do transition elements have high density, melting and boiling points?
Explanation: The density, melting point and boiling point of metals increases with increase in the strength of the metallic bond.
Transition metals release electrons from both the inner 3d-sub energy level and the outer 4s-sub energy level towards metallic bonding resulting into very strong electrostatic attraction between the positively charged metal ions and the delocalized electrons (very strong metallic bonds) and high density/ high melting/high boiling point.
What is the trend in melting point of the first transition series (Scandium to zinc)? Explain?
Trend: It increases from scandium to vanadium and generally decreases from vanadium to zinc with manganese and copper having abnormally lower melting points than expected and zinc having very low melting point.
Explanation:
• The increase from scandium is due to the increases in the number of unpaired 3d- electrons per atom contributed towards metallic bonding and the general decrease in melting point from chromium to zinc is due to decrease in the number of unpaired 3d- electrons.
• Manganese and copper have abnormally lower melting points than expected. This is because manganese has a stable half-filled 3d-sub energy level while copper has a more stable completely filled 3d-sub energy level resulting into stable lattices in which the 3d- electrons are less available for metallic bonding. This results into weak electrostatic attractions between the metal ions and the delocalized electrons (weak metallic bonds) and low melting points.
• Zinc has very low melting point because its 3d-sub energy level is completely filled and the d-electrons do not take part in metallic bonding. Only the 4s-electrons are involved in metallic bonding resulting into weak electrostatic attractions between the zinc ions and the delocalized electrons and low melting points.
Why do transition elements form coloured compounds/ions?
Explanation:
Formation of coloured compounds by transition metal ions is due to presence incompletely filled 3d-orbitals.
When white light is shone onto transition metal ions or in presence of ligands, the 3d-orbitals split into two sub energy levels.
A photon of energy is absorbed in the visible spectrum when an electron jumps from the lower sub- energy level to the high energy level.
The unabsorbed visible light is transmitted and it is the observed colour.
What factors affect the absorbed energy and the colour of the transition element ion?
• The nature of the metal ion
• The oxidation state of the cation e.g. Fe2+, Fe3+
• The nature of ligand e.g.
̅̅− 𝑂𝐻,𝐶𝑁,𝐶𝑙 ,𝐻2𝑂, 𝑁𝐻3
• The geometry of the complex e.g. tetrahedral, octahedral
Explain how transition elements are paramagnetic (weakly attracted by a magnetic field).
Transition metal ions show paramagnetism due to presence unpaired 3d-electrons which spin on their axis creating a magnetic dipole.
The spins become temporarily aligned in the same direction the external applied magnetic field, causing the material to be attracted to the applied magnetic field.
Paramagnetic character increases with the number of unpaired 3d- electrons.
For example
(i) Mn2+ (1𝑠22𝑠22𝑝63𝑠23𝑝63𝑑5) is more paramagnetic than Mn4+
(1𝑠22𝑠22𝑝63𝑠23𝑝63𝑑3) because Mn2+ has five unpaired electrons while Mn4+ has only three unpaired electrons.
Why do transition metals and their compounds make good heterogeneous catalysts?
- The presence of partially filled d-orbitals allows them to form weak bonds with the reactants on the catalyst surface, increasing the reactant concentration at adsorption sites. This weakens the reactant bonds resulting in an increased rate of reaction.
- Their variable oxidation states which allows them to create an alternative path for the reaction with lower activation energy.
Note: During the reaction the catalyst undergoes change in oxidation state but it is regenerated at the end of the reaction.
What is a complex?
• A complex is a substance in which a central metal atom or ion is bonded to negative ions or neutral molecules with lone pairs of electrons through coordinate bonding.
• The negative ions or neutral molecules with lone pairs of electrons are called ligands.
What is coordination number?
• The number of coordinate bonds on the central metal atom or ion by ligands
Why do transition metals form many complexes?
(i) their high polarizing power arising from their small highly charged ions enabling them to attract lone pairs from ligands.
(ii) the presence of vacant d-orbitals that can accommodate lone pairs of electrons from ligands.
What is Ionization isomerism?
These differ in the distribution of ions between those which directly bonded and those not directly bonded to the central metal atom or ion.
What is Hydration isomerism?
These differ in the number of water molecules directly bonded to the central metal atom or ion.
Give the properties of vanadium
• It is very strong metal
• It is resistant to corrosion at ordinary conditions and only combines with air at high temperatures
• It is not attacked by cold dilute acids but slowly dissolves in hot concentrated nitric acid, hot concentrated sulphuric acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid.
How can the oxidation states of vanadium be demonstrated?
By shaking a solution ammonium vanadate in dilute sulphuric acid with zinc amalgam.
The solution changes colour from pale-yellow to blue, to green and finally to lavender.
Why don’t V5+ and V4+ exist as bare ions in aqueous solutions?
Both ions are highly charged and have very small ionic radii and as a result they exert a high polarizing effect on the neighboring water molecules and detaching oxide ions from the water molecules forming VO3- (or VO2+) and VO2+ ions respectively.
How is Vanadium(V) oxide, V2O5 prepared?
- It is an orange solid prepared by heating ammonium metavanadate, NH4VO3.
What type of oxide is vanadium (v) oxide?
It is an amphoteric oxide.
How does vanadium (v) oxide react in strongly alkaline solutions?
It dissolves forming orthovanadate ion, VO43-
Potassium hydroxide and potassium chlorate(V).
3MnO2 (s) + KClO3 (l) + 6KOH(l) → 3K2MnO4 (l) + KCl(l) + 3H2O(l)or − ̅ 2− −
3𝑀𝑛𝑂2(𝑙) + 𝐶𝑙𝑂3 (𝑙) + 6𝑂𝐻(𝑙) → 3𝑀𝑛𝑂4 (𝑎𝑞) + 𝐶𝑙 (𝑎𝑞) + 3𝐻2𝑂(𝑙)
• Potassium manganate(VI) is only stable in alkaline conditions.
In neutral or acidic conditions it disproportionates into manganate(VII) ions and manganese(IV) oxide.
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3𝑀𝑛𝑂42−(𝑎𝑞) + 4𝐻+(𝑎𝑞) → 2𝑀𝑛𝑂4−(𝑎𝑞) + 𝑀𝑛𝑂2(𝑠) + 2𝐻2𝑂(𝑙)(𝑨𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎
2− −
3𝑀𝑛𝑂4 (𝑎𝑞) + 2𝐻2𝑂(𝑙) ⇌ 2𝑀𝑛𝑂4 (𝑎𝑞) + 𝑀𝑛𝑂2(𝑠) + 4𝑂𝐻(𝑎𝑞)(𝑨𝒍𝒌𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒖𝒎)
Manganese(VII) compounds
Potassium manganate(VII)
This is the most important compound in the +7 oxidation state of manganese. It is a dark purple crystalline solid. It is moderately soluble in water.
Reactions of potassium manganate(VII)
̅
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How does vanadium (v) oxide react in strongly acidic conditions?
It dissolves forming VO2+ ion
VO (s) + 2H+(aq) → 2VO +(aq)+H O(l)
How does chromium metal react with oxygen?
It burns in oxygen at 2300K forming chromium(III) oxide, a dark-green solid
4Cr(s) + 3O2 (g) → 2Cr2O3 (s)
How does chromium react with cold dilute hydrochloric and cold dilute sulphuric acid?
- It reacts slowly but more rapidly on warming forming chromium(II) salts (blue solution) and hydrogen gas
Cr(s) + 2H+ (aq) → Cr2+ (aq) + H2 (g)