Metal atoms transition elements

Like most metals, the transition elements lose electrons to attain a more stable configuration. Most have multiple oxidation numbers because their s and d orbitals are so close in energy that electrons can be lost from both orbitals. For example, cobalt (atomic number 27) forms two fluorides— one with the formula C0F2 and another with the formula C0F3. In the first case, cobalt gives up two electrons to fluorine. In the second case, cobalt gives up three electrons. 

The three rows of J-block metals are shown in the schematic periodic table at the beginning of the chapter. The term transition elements (metals) is also widely used, but rf-block metal and transition element are not interchangeable. A transition element is one for which an atom has an incomplete fi -subshell, or which gives rise to a cation with an incomplete fi -subshell, and thus elements in group 12 (which are within the fi -block) are not transition elements. The elements in the /-block (see Chapter 24) are sometimes called inner transition elements. Throughout our discussions, we shall use the terms fi -block and /-block metals, so being consistent with the use of the terms i-block and />-block elements in earlier chapters. Three further points should be noted ... 

Some of the oxidation states given above, especially the higher oxidation states (7, 6) and oxidation state 0, are found only when the metal atom or ion has attached to it certain groups or ligands. Indeed the chemistry of the transition elements is so dominated by their tendency to form coordination complexes that this aspect of their behaviour must be considered in some detail. 

The lanthanoids also form metal-rich carbides of stoichiometry M3C in which individual C atoms occupy at random one-third of the octahedral Cl sites in a NaCl-like structure. Several of the actinoids (e.g. Th, U, Pu) form monocarbides, MC, in which all the octahedral Cl sites in the NaCl structure are occupied and this stoichiometry is also observed for several other carbides of the early transition elements, e.g. M = Ti, Zr, Hf V, Nb, Ta Mo, W. These... 

The predominantly ionic alkali metal sulfides M2S (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) adopt the antifluorite structure (p. 118) in which each S atom is surrounded by a cube of 8 M and each M by a tetrahedron of S. The alkaline earth sulfides MS (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) adopt the NaCl-type 6 6 structure (p. 242) as do many other monosulfides of rather less basic metals (M = Pb, Mn, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Ho, Th, U, Pu). However, many metals in the later transition element groups show substantial trends to increasing covalency leading either to lower coordination numbers or to layer-lattice structures. Thus MS (Be, Zn, Cd, Hg) adopt the 4 4 zinc blende structure (p. 1210) and ZnS, CdS and MnS also crystallize in the 4 4 wurtzite modification (p. 1210). In both of these structures both M and S are tetrahedrally coordinated, whereas PtS, which also has 4 4... 

Given the efficiency of VASP, electronic structure calculations with or without a static optimization of the atomic structure can now be performed on fast workstations for systems with a few hundred inequivalent atoms per cell (including transition-metais and first row elements). Molecular dynamics simulationsextending over several picoseconds are feasible (at tolerable computational effort) for systems with 1000 or more valence electrons. As an example we refer to the recent work on the metal/nonmetal transition in expanded fluid mercury[31]. 

Just as the saturated solubility of sugar in water is limited, so the solid solubility of element B in metal A may also be limited, or may even be so low as to be negligible, as for example with lead in iron or carbon in aluminium. There is extensive interstitial solid solubility only when the solvent metal is a transition element and when the diameter of the solute atoms is < 0 6 of the diameter of the solvent atom. The Hume-Rothery rules state that there is extensive substitutional solid solubility of B in >1 only if ... 

There are two basic differences of (sic) free atoms and chemically bound atoms. First, the more diffuse an AO, the stronger it is perturbed in molecular and condensed matter. The (n + )s AOs of the transition metal atoms, especially of the earlier ones, are not of primary importance for chemical bonding. Their relevance is comparable to that of the diffuse orbitals of main group elements ([34], p 653). 

The Niccolite Structure. The substances which crystallize with the niccolite structure (B8) are compounds of transition elements with S, Se, Te, As, Sb, Bi, or Sn. The physical properties of the substances indicate that the crystals are not ionic, and this is substantiated by the lack of agreement with the structural rules for ionic crystals. Thus each metal atom is surrounded by an octahedron of non-metal atoms but these octahedra share faces, and the edges of the shared faces are longer than other edges (rather than shorter, as in ionic crystals). Hence we conclude that the bonds are covalent, with probably some metallic character also. 

The values for the atomic saturation magnetization at the absolute zero, ferromagnetic metals iron, cobalt, and nickel are 2.22, 1.71, and 0.61 Bohr magnetons per atom, respectively.9 These numbers are the average numbers of unpaired electron spins in the metals (the approximation of the g factor to 2 found in gyromagnetic experiments shows that the orbital moment is nearly completely quenched, as in complex ions containing the transition elements). 

In this discussion of the transition elements we have considered only the orbitals (n— )d ns np. It seems probable that in some metals use is made also of the nd orbitals in bond formation. In gray tin, with the diamond structure, the four orbitals 5s5p3 are used with four outer electrons in the formation of tetrahedral bonds, the 4d shell being filled with ten electrons. The structure of white tin, in which each atom has six nearest neighbors (four at 3.016A and two at 3.17.5A), becomes reasonable if it is assumed that one of the 4d electrons is promoted to the 5d shell, and that six bonds are formed with use of the orbitals 4dSs5p35d. 

In the papers referred to above it is pointed out that the mechanical properties of the transition elements and the distances between atoms in metals and intermetallic compounds are well accounted for by these considerations. In the following sections of the present paper a discussion is given of the number of valence electrons by the Brillouin polyhedron method, and it is shown that the calculations for the filled-zone alloys such as the 7-alloys provide further support for the new system of metallic valences. 

Borides, in contrast to carbides and nitrides, are characterized by an unusual structural complexity for both metal-rich and B-rich compositions. This complexity has its origin in the tendency of B atoms to form one- two-, or three-dimensional covalent arrangements and to show uncommon coordination numbers because of their large size (rg = 0.88 10 pm) and their electronic structure (deficiency in valence electrons). The structures of the transition-element borides are well established " . 

The materials for solid solutions of transition elements in j3-rh boron are prepared by arc melting the component elements or by solid-state diffusion of the metal into /3-rhombohedral (/3-rh) boron. Compositions as determined by erystal structure and electron microprobe analyses together with the unit cell dimensions are given in Table 1. The volume of the unit cell (V ) increases when the solid solution is formed. As illustrated in Fig. 1, V increases nearly linearly with metal content for the solid solution of Cu in /3-rh boron. In addition to the elements listed in Table 1, the expansion of the unit cell exceeds 7.0 X 10 pm for saturated solid solutions " of Ti, V, (2o, Ni, As, Se and Hf in /3-rh boron, whereas the increase is smaller for the remaining elements. The solubility of these elements does not exceed a few tenths at %. The microhardness of the solid solution increases with V . Boron is a brittle material, indicating the accommodation of transition-element atoms in the -rh boron structure is associated with an increase in the cohesion energy of the solid. 

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