Coordination Polyhedra for Transition Metals

According to the preceding statements certain coordination polyhedra occur preferentially for compounds of transition metals, depending on the central atom, the oxidation state, and the kind of ligand. The general tendencies can be summarized as follows  

The series of 3d elements from scandium to iron as well as nickel preferably form octahedral complexes in the oxidation states I, II, III, and IV. Octahedra and tetrahe-dra are known for cobalt, and tetrahedra for zinc and copper . Copper(II) (d9) forms Jahn-Teller distorted octahedra and tetrahedra. With higher oxidation states (= smaller ionic radii) and larger ligands the tendency to form tetrahedra increases. For vanadium(V), chromium(VI) and manganese(VII) almost only tetrahedral coordination is known (VF5 is an exception). Nickel(II) low-spin complexes (d8) can be either octahedral or square. 

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