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Related Concept Videos

Colors and Magnetism03:02

Colors and Magnetism

Color in Coordination Complexes
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Valence Bond Theory02:42

Valence Bond Theory

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...
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes02:46

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Tetrahedral Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes02:58

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

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...
¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals01:02

¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals

Spin systems where the difference in chemical shifts of the coupled nuclei is greater than ten times J are called first-order spin systems. These nuclei are weakly coupled, and their chemical shifts and coupling constant can generally be estimated from the well-separated signals in the spectrum.
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are slanted or...
Spin–Spin Coupling: One-Bond Coupling01:17

Spin–Spin Coupling: One-Bond Coupling

Coupling interactions are strongest between NMR-active nuclei bonded to each other, where spin information can be transmitted directly through the pair of bonding electrons. While nuclei polarize their electrons to the opposite spins, the bonding electron pair has opposite spins. Configurations with antiparallel nuclear spins are expected to be lower in energy. When coupling makes antiparallel states more favorable, J is considered to have a positive value. The one-bond coupling constant, 1J,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
10:51

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

Published on: April 10, 2015

Scrutinizing low-spin Cr(II) complexes.

Christopher C Scarborough1, Stephen Sproules, Christian J Doonan

  • 1Max-Planck-Institut für Bioanorganische Chemie, Stiftstrasse 34-36, D-45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. scarborough@emory.edu

Inorganic Chemistry
|June 9, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals chromium(III) in complexes 1-5 and low-spin chromium(II) in complexes 6-8 using X-ray spectroscopy and DFT. Low-spin Cr(II) is rare, accessible only with strong-field ligands.

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Preparation of SNS Cobalt(II) Pincer Model Complexes of Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase
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Area of Science:

  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Spectroscopy

Background:

  • Determining the oxidation state of metal centers is crucial for understanding compound properties.
  • Chromium complexes exhibit diverse oxidation states and electronic structures.
  • Ligand field strength significantly influences metal center electronic configurations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the oxidation states of chromium in a series of novel coordination compounds.
  • To elucidate the electronic structures of these chromium complexes.
  • To explore the conditions favoring low-spin chromium(II) states.

Main Methods:

  • Chromium K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was employed to probe oxidation states.
  • Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used to complement experimental data.
  • X-ray crystallography was utilized to determine the structures of key complexes.

Main Results:

  • Complexes 1-5 were identified to contain a Cr(III) center.
  • Complexes 6-8 were found to possess a low-spin Cr(II) center.
  • The electronic structures were described considering ligand radical anion forms.

Conclusions:

  • The study confirms Cr(III) in most investigated complexes.
  • Low-spin Cr(II) was observed in complexes with strong-field ligands.
  • The accessibility of low-spin Cr(II) is limited to the extreme end of the spectrochemical series.