How many unpaired electrons are there in the complex ion [Mn(CN)₆]^3- A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3 E) 4

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine the number of unpaired electrons in the complex ion, we need to first determine the oxidation state of Mn. We know that the overall charge of the complex ion is -1, and since CN^- is a charged ligand that contributes -1 charge, we can assume that Mn has an oxidation state of +1.

Next, we need to consider the electron configuration of Mn^+. Mn has a d^5 configuration, and because CN^- is a strong field ligand, it will cause the d orbitals to split into two sets of different energy levels - a lower energy set of three orbitals (t2g) and a higher energy set of two orbitals (eg).

Based on the number of electrons in each set, we can determine that Mn^+ has two unpaired electrons in the eg set. Therefore, the answer is C) 2.

How Many Unpaired Electrons Are There in the Complex Ion