Which of the following complexes is paramagnetic? (2023) 2023
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following complexes is paramagnetic? (2023) 2023
[Ni(CN)4]2-
[Fe(H2O)6]3+
[Cu(NH3)4]2+
[Zn(NH3)4]2+
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following complexes is paramagnetic? (2023) 2023
Step 1: Understand what paramagnetic means. Paramagnetic substances have unpaired electrons, which make them attracted to a magnetic field.
Step 2: Identify the complexes given in the question. In this case, we are looking at [Fe(H2O)6]3+ and possibly other complexes.
Step 3: Determine the electron configuration of the central metal ion in the complex. For [Fe(H2O)6]3+, the iron ion (Fe) is in the +3 oxidation state.
Step 4: Find the electron configuration of Fe3+. Iron (Fe) has an atomic number of 26. The electron configuration for neutral Fe is [Ar] 4s2 3d6. When it loses 3 electrons to become Fe3+, it loses the 4s electrons first and then one 3d electron, resulting in [Ar] 3d5.
Step 5: Analyze the 3d5 configuration. In the 3d subshell, there are 5 electrons, and they can be arranged in such a way that there are unpaired electrons. This means that [Fe(H2O)6]3+ has unpaired electrons.
Step 6: Compare with other complexes. If the other complexes have all paired electrons in their electron configurations, they will be diamagnetic and not paramagnetic.
Step 7: Conclude that [Fe(H2O)6]3+ is the paramagnetic complex because it has unpaired electrons.
