Transition elements

Read our general notes on Risk Assessment

In an advanced level course you only have to study the first-row d-block elements from scandium to zinc. You will discover that chemists make subtle distinctions so they typically exclude scandium and zinc and only regard the other eight elements as transition elements.
 
Transition elements are characterised by:

their electron configurations,

their physical properties,

their variable oxidation states,

the colour of many of their compounds,

the tendency for the metal ions to form complexes,

the catalytic activity of the metals and their compounds.

back to A2 Chemistry

Webguides

• Chemistry of complex ions
• A guide to transition metal chemistry
• Catalysis and transition metals

Recently Asked Questions

• In older textbooks, the hydrated ion of Cu²⁺ was the tetrahydrate and still described as so in coppersulfate pentahydrate. Nowadays it is described as the hexahydrate. Yet the complex ion formed with ammonia as ligand has 4 ammonia molecules. Does it also have 2 water molecules (and why not 6 ammonia) i.e. maintain a coordination number of 6 and if so does this mean then that 2 isomers could exist a cis and trans with water molecules sharing a face of the octahedron in the former. If this were so one would expect two different absorption spectra - as far as I know this is not so yet I have seen nothing reported on it. 280708
• What is the oxidation no of Ni in Ni(CO)₄. The answer is 0, but how do you get that? 080608
• Describe a chemical test that could be used to distinguish cobalt from copper. 080608

more

Tests

• Transition elements (A2)

updated: 14 September 2003