In an octahedral complex,electrons in and orbitals experience a greater repulsion from the lone pairs of electrons on ligands because these orbitals
A) contain more electrons than the other three d orbitals.
B) each contain one unpaired electron.
C) are oriented directly toward the incoming ligand electron pairs.
D) are located a greater distance from the metal ion nucleus.
E) are roughly spherical in shape,much like an s orbital.

Question

In an octahedral complex,electrons in  and  orbitals experience a greater repulsion from the lone pairs of electrons on ligands because these orbitals
A) contain more electrons than the other three d orbitals. 
B) each contain one unpaired electron. 
C) are oriented directly toward the incoming ligand electron pairs. 
D) are located a greater distance from the metal ion nucleus. 
E) are roughly spherical in shape,much like an s orbital.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The orbitals in question (11eac9a9_4b72_01d5_acc3_6339dbe44315_TB7480_11 and 11eac9a9_4b72_01d6_acc3_e135a456ac95_TB7480_11) are d orbitals that are oriented directly towards the incoming ligand electron pairs. This means that they experience a greater repulsion from the lone pairs of electrons on the ligands than the other d orbitals, which are oriented in different directions. This is known as the Jahn-Teller effect, and it causes distortions in the shape of octahedral complexes.

In an Octahedral Complex,electrons in and Orbitals Experience