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A Level Chemistry > Transition Metals 15.1 > Flashcards

Transition Metals 15.1 Flashcards

1
Q

What is a transition metal?

A

An element that forms one or more stable ions with incompletely filled d-orbitals.

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2
Q

What are 4 characteristics of transition metals?

A

They can act as catalysts, form coloured compounds, have variable oxidation states and can form complexes

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3
Q

Which characteristics of transition metals do zinc and scandium not have?

A

They only form 1 ion (these don’t have incompletely filled d-orbitals) and their compounds are not coloured.

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4
Q

What are the electron configurations of chromium and copper?

A 
Cr = 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 3d5
Cu = 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s1 3d10
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5
Q

What ions do scandium and zinc form? Therefore why are they not considered transition metals?

A

Scandium becomes Sc3+ by losing it’s 4s2 and 3d1 electrons and zinc becomes Zn2+ by losing it’s 4s2 electrons. Neither of these therefore have incompletely filled d-orbitals, and are therefore not transition metals.

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6
Q

Which orbitals out of 4s and 3d are filled first, when writing electron configurations?

A

4s

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7
Q

Which orbitals out of 4s and 3d are lost first, when writing electron configurations?

A

4s

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8
Q

In the same period of the periodic table, do transition metal ions have a bigger or smaller radii than the ions of other elements?

A

Smaller.

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9
Q

What does the small size of transition metal ions allow them to do?

A

It enables them to attract electron-rich species more strongly, including water molecules present in aqueous solutions.

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10
Q

What is a ligand?

A

A species that uses a lone pair of electrons to form a dative bond with a metal ion.

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11
Q

What is a complex?

A

A species containing a metal ion joined to ligands.

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12
Q

What is a complex ion?

A

A complex with an overall positive or negative charge.

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13
Q

What is meant by the coordination number?

A

It is the number of dative bonds in the complex.

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14
Q

What is the formula and charge for a water ligand?

A

H2O, 0

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15
Q

What is the formula and charge for a hydroxide ligand?

A

-OH, -1

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16
Q

What is the formula and charge for an ammonia ligand?

A

NH3, 0

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17
Q

What is the formula and charge for a chloride ligand?

A

Cl-, -1

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18
Q

What is the formula and charge for a cyanide ligand?

A

CN-, -1

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19
Q

What is the formula and charge for a thiocyanate ligand?

A

SCN-, -1

20
Q

If a complex absorbs red light, what will the colour of the emerging light be?

A

Blue or green.

21
Q

Why are transition metal complexes coloured?

A

When ligands, such as water, bond to the metal ions, the 3d orbitals split into 2 different energy levels. If one of the electrons in the lower energy level (ground state) absorbs light from the visible spectrum, it is promoted or excited to the higher energy level (excited state). To be promoted to these higher states, they need the same amount of energy as the energy gap. The higher the energy gap, the higher the frequency of light that is absorbed.

22
Q

List 4 factors that affect the size of the energy gap (in relation to why transition metal complexes are coloured).

A

It depends on the central metal ion, its oxidation number, its coordination number and the ligands.

23
Q

Give the formula for the compound of vanadium that has an oxidation state of +5. What colour is it?

A

VO2^+, yellow.

24
Q

Give the formula for the compound of vanadium that has an oxidation state of +4. What colour is it?

A

VO^2+, blue.

25
Q

What colours are V3+ and V2+?

A

Green, violet.

26
Q

Give the formula for the compound of chromium that has an oxidation state of +6. What colour is it?

A

Cr2O7^2-, orange.

27
Q

What colour is Cr3+?

A

Green.

28
Q

Give the formula for the compound of manganese that has an oxidation state of +7. What colour is it?

A

MnO4^-, purple.

29
Q

Give the formula for the compound of manganese that has an oxidation state of +6. What colour is it?

A

MnO4^2-, green.

30
Q

What colour is Mn^2+?

A

Pale pink.

31
Q

What colours are Fe3+ and Fe2+?

A

Yellow, pale green.

32
Q

What colour is Co2+?

A

Pink.

33
Q

What colour is Cu2+?

A

Pale blue.

34
Q

If a metal complex has 6 ligands, what is its shape and bond angle? Give an example.

A

Octahedral, 90 degrees, [Co(NH3)6]^2+

35
Q

If a metal complex has 4 ligands, what is its shape and bond angle? Give an example.

A

Tetrahedral, 109.5 degrees, [CuCl4]^2-

36
Q

If a metal complex has 2 ligands, what is its shape and bond angle? Give an example.

A

Linear, 180 degrees, [Ag(NH3)2]^+

37
Q

How does cis-platin work to kill cancer cells?

A

It forms a bond between 2 strands of DNA, which prevents them from separating and therefore prevents cancer cells from dividing.

38
Q

What is a monodentate ligand?

A

A ligand that forms one dative bond with a metal ion.

39
Q

What is a bidentate ligand?

A

A ligand that forms two dative bonds with a metal ion.

40
Q

What is a multidentate ligand?

A

A ligand that forms several dative bonds with a metal ion.

41
Q

What does the abbreviation ‘en’ mean?

A

NH2CH2CH2NH2

42
Q

How does ‘en’ act as a bidentate ligand?

A

It uses the lone pair of electrons on each nitrogen atom to attach to the metal ion.

43
Q

Give an example of a multidentate ligand.

A

EDTA^4-

44
Q

Order the following types of ligands from least to most stable: multidentate, bidentate, monodentate.

A

Monodentate, biedentate, multidentate

45
Q

What is the definition of ligand exchange reaction?

A

A reaction in which one or more coordinated water molecules is substituted by other ligands.

46
Q

Give 2 reasons why ligand exchange reactions take place.

A

Relatively strong ligands tend to displace weaker ones, and ligand exchange is reversible.

A Level Chemistry (3 decks)

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