Complexes ligand field theory

For transition metal complexes, techniques derived from a crystal-field theory or ligand-field theory description of the molecules have been created. These tend to be more often qualitative than quantitative. 

Transition metals readily form complexes, such as [Fe(CN)6], the ferrocyanide ion, Ni(CO)4, nickel tetracarbonyl, and [CuC ], the copper tetrachloride ion. MO theory applied to such species has tended to be developed independently. It is for this reason that the terms crystal field theory and ligand field theory have arisen which tend to disguise the fact that they are both aspects of MO theory. 

There are two major theories of bonding in d-metal complexes. Crystal field theory was first devised to explain the colors of solids, particularly ruby, which owes its color to Cr3+ ions, and then adapted to individual complexes. Crystal field theory is simple to apply and enables us to make useful predictions with very little labor. However, it does not account for all the properties of complexes. A more sophisticated approach, ligand field theory (Section 16.12), is based on molecular orbital theory. 

FIGURE 16.36 I1ie tear-shaped objects are representations of the six ligand atomic orbitals that are used to build the molecular orbitals of an octahedral complex in ligand field theory. They might represent s- or p-orbitals on the ligands or hybrids of the two. 

We now consider what ligand-field theory may contribute to an understanding of the variation in stabilities of transition-metal complexes as a function of the d configuration. 

In all these discussions, we separate, as best we might, the effects of the d electrons upon the bonding electrons from the effects of the bonding electrons upon the d electrons. The latter takes us into crystal- and ligand-field theories, the former into the steric roles of d electrons and the geometries of transition-metal complexes. Both sides of the coin are relevant in the energetics of transition-metal chemistry, as is described in later chapters. 

Schmidtke H-H, Degan J (1989) A Dynamic Ligand Field Theory for Vibronic Structures Rationalizing Electronic Spectra of Transition Metal Complex Compounds. 71 99-124 Schneider W (1975) Kinetics and Mechanism of Metalloporphyrin Formation. 23 123-166... 

Warren KD (1984) Calculations of the Jahn-Teller Coupling Constants for d Systems in Octahedral Symmetry via the Angular Overlap Model. 57 119-145 Warren KD (1977) Ligand Field Theory off-Orbital Sandwich Complexes. 33 97-137 Warren KD (1976) Ligand Field Theory of Metal Sandwich Complexes. 27 45-159 Watson RE, Perlman ML (1975) X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Application to Metals and Alloys. 24 83-132... 

Warren, K. D. Ligand Field Theory of Metal Sandwich Complexes. Vol. 27, pp. 45-159. 

The first Ni Mossbauer spectrum of nickel in a bioinorganic compound with determinable EFG and isomer shift was reported for a nickel complex compound with planar [NiSJ core and considered as a model compound for hydrogenase. This Mossbauer spectrum from the formal Ni compound is presented in Fig. 7.16. The observed quadrupolar interaction can be understood in terms of ligand field theory. In this approach, the b g and levels (d y2 and d ) are not occupied which is expected to cause a large negative EFG contribution [32]. 

Anitha S, Rao KSJ (2003) The Complexity of Aluminium-DNA Interactions Relevance to Alzheimer s and Other Neurological Diseases 104 79-98 Anthon C, Bendix J, Schaffer CE (2004) Elucidation of Ligand-Field Theory. Reformulation and Revival by Density Functional Theory 107 207-302 Aramburu JA, see Moreno M (2003) 106 127-152... 

Although the ligand field theory can be used to rationalize the geometry of some transition metal molecules and complex ions, the study of the shapes of transition metal molecules in terms of the electron density distribution is still the subject of research and it has not reached a sufficient stage of development to enable us to discuss it in this book. 

Ligand Field Theory of Metal Sandwich Complexes... 

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