Transition elements

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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.

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Webguides

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

Recently Asked Questions

• I'm currently doing an investigation on the preparation and analysis of a square planar copper(II) complex. Firstly I have to prepare the complex ethylammonium tetrachlorocuprate(II) which I have no problem with. However I'm having a problem with the ethylamine analysis. I am instructed to, "Boil a 0.5 g sample of the complex with excess 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution in a conical flask. The complex breaks down to liberate ethylamine, form a black copper(II) oxide precipitate and leave chloride ions in solution. Dissolve the ethylamine evolved in 0.1M hydrochloric acid solution, cool it (the hydrochloric acid solution) and back titrate the excess acid using 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution and phenolphthalein indicator." The bit I'm confused about is when do I stop boiling the sample + sodium hydroxide? I have a feeling the last few times I've done it I've left it boiling far too long but I have been given no indication when to stop. 191108
• I'm currently investigating different methods of analysis for copper ²+, and I am unsure which indicator to use for the EDTA titration. 021108
• 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

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Tests

• Transition elements (A2)

updated: 14 September 2003