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Ch.23 - Transition Metals and Coordination Chemistry
Chapter 23, Problem 16

Complete the exercises below. How many electrons are in the valence d orbitals in these transition-metal ions? a. Co³⁺, b. Cu⁺, c. Cd²⁺, d. Os³⁺.

Verified step by step guidance
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Step 1: Identify the electron configuration of the neutral atom for each transition metal. For example, cobalt (Co) has an atomic number of 27, so its electron configuration is [Ar] 3d^7 4s^2.
Step 2: Determine the electron configuration of the ion by removing electrons starting from the outermost shell. For Co³⁺, remove three electrons from the neutral Co configuration, starting with the 4s orbital, then the 3d orbital.
Step 3: Count the number of electrons remaining in the d orbitals after ionization. For Co³⁺, after removing three electrons, check how many are left in the 3d orbitals.
Step 4: Repeat the process for Cu⁺, which has a neutral electron configuration of [Ar] 3d^10 4s^1. Remove one electron to form Cu⁺ and count the electrons in the 3d orbitals.
Step 5: Apply the same method to Cd²⁺ and Os³⁺. For Cd, start with [Kr] 4d^10 5s^2 and remove two electrons. For Os, start with [Xe] 4f^14 5d^6 6s^2 and remove three electrons. Count the remaining d electrons for each ion.