Metal induced folding: synthesis and conformational analysis of the lanthanide complexes of two 44-membered hydrazone...

Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...

In complexation reactions, metal cations are the electron pair acceptors, and the ligands are the electron pair donors. The stability of the metal complexes depends primarily on the complexing ability of the central metal ion and the nature of the ligands. Generally, the complexing ability of the metal ion depends on the size and charge of the ion. As the metal ion size increases, the stability of the metal complexes decreases, provided that the valency of the metal ion and the ligands remain...

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

Ladder diagrams are useful for evaluating equilibria involving metal-ligand complexes. The vertical scale of the ladder diagram represents the concentration of unreacted or free ligand, pL. The horizontal lines on the scale depict the log of stepwise formation constants for metal-ligand complexes and indicate the dominant species in all the regions.
The formation constant, K1, for the formation of Cd(NH3)2+ complex from cadmium and ammonia is 3.55 × 102. Log K1 (i.e. pNH3) is 2.55, and...

For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.