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Transition Metals
General properties of transition metals
transition metal characteristics of elements Sc
Cu arise from an incomplete d sub-level in
atoms or ions
Sc 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
1
Ti 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
2
V 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
3
Cr 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
1
3d
5
Mn 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
5
Fe 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
6
Co 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
7
Ni 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
8
Cu 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
1
3d
10
Zn 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
4s
2
3d
10
Sc
3+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
0
Ti
3+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
1
V
3+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
2
Cr
3+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
3
Mn
2+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
5
Fe
3+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
5
Co
2+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
7
Ni
2+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
8
Cu
2+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
Zn
2+
[Ar] 4s
0
3d
10
When
forming
ions lose
4s before
3d
Why is Zn not a transition metal?
Zn can only form a +2 ion. In this ion the Zn
2+
has a complete d orbital and so does
not meet the criteria of having an incomplete d orbital in one of its compounds.
these characteristics include
complex formation,
formation of coloured ions,
variable oxidation state
catalytic activity.
Complex formation
complex :is a central metal ion surrounded by ligands.
ligand.: An atom, ion or molecule which can donate a lone electron pair
Co-ordinate bonding is involved in complex formation.
Co-ordinate bonding is when the shared pair of electrons in the covalent bond
come from only one of the bonding atoms.
Co-ordination number: The number of co-ordinate bonds formed to a central
metal ion
ligands can be unidentate (e.g. H
2
O, NH
3
and Cl
-
)
which can form one coordinate bond per ligand or
bidentate (e.g. NH
2
CH
2
CH
2
NH
2
and ethanedioate
ion C
2
O
4
2-
) which have two atoms with lone pairs
and can form two coordinate bonds per ligand
or multidentate (e.g. EDTA
4-
which can form six
coordinate bonds per ligand).
haem is an iron(II) complex
with a multidentate ligand.
A complex with bidentate
ligands e.g.
[Cr(NH
2
CH
2
CH
2
NH
2
)
3
]
3+
It has a coordination number of 6
Cu(H
2
O)
6
2+
+ 3NH
2
CH
2
CH
2
NH
2
[Cu(NH
2
CH
2
CH
2
NH
2
)
3
]
2+
+ 6H
2
O
Cu(H
2
O)
6
2+
+ 3C
2
O
4
2-
[Cu(C
2
O
4
)
3
]
4-
+ 6H
2
O
Cu(H
2
O)
6
2+
+ EDTA
4-
[Cu(EDTA)]
2-
+ 6H
2
O
Equations to show formation of bidentate and mutidentate complexes
CH
2
CH
2
N N
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
C
C
C
C
O
O
O
-O
-O O-
O-
O
The EDTA
4-
anion has the formula
with six donor sites(4O and 2N) and forms a 1:1
complex with metal(II) ions
3-
C
C O
O
C
C
O
O
C
C
O
O
Cr
O
O
O
O
O
O
3+
H
2
C
NH
2
NH
2
CH
2
H
2
C
NH
2
NH
2 CH
2
CH
2
NH
2
NH
2
Cr
CH
2
A complex with
bidentate ethanedioate
ligands e.g. [Cr(C
2
O
4
)
3
]
3-
Learn the two bidentate ligands
mentioned above but it is not
necessary to remember the
structure of EDTA
There are 3 bidentate
ligands in this complex
each bonding in twice
to the metal ion
Cu
OH
2
OH
2
O H
2
O H
2
OH
2
OH
2
2+
1 N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
Formation of coloured ions
Colour changes arise from changes in
1. oxidation state,
2. co-ordination number
3. ligand.
Colour arises from electronic transitions from the
ground state to excited states: between different d
orbitals
A portion of visible light is absorbed to promote d
electrons to higher energy levels. The light that is not
absorbed is transmitted to give the substance colour.
Changing colour
Changing a ligand or changing the coordination number will alter the energy split between the d- orbitals,
changing E and hence change the frequency of light absorbed.
Ligands cause 5 d orbitals to
split into two energy levels
Co(H
2
O)
6
2+
+ 4Cl
-
[CoCl
4
]
2-
+ 6H
2
O
pink blue
[Co(NH
3
)
6
]
2+
(aq) [Co(NH
3
)
6
]
3+
(aq) +e
-
yellow brown
Compounds without colour
Scandium is a member of the d block, its ion
(Sc
3+
) hasn't got any d electrons left to move
around. So there is not an energy transfer equal to
that of visible light
In the case of Zn
2+
ions and Cu
+
ions the d shell is full
e.g.3d
10
so here there is no space for electrons to
transfer. So there is not an energy transfer equal to that
of visible light
O
2
In this
equation only
oxidation state
is changing
Co(H
2
O)
6
2+
+ 6 NH
3
Co(NH
3
)
6
2+
+ 6H
2
O
Pink yellow brown
In this equation both ligand and co-
ordination number are changing
In this equation only the ligand is changing
How colour arises
Shapes of complex ions
transition metal ions
commonly form octahedral
complexes with small
ligands (e.g. H
2
O and NH
3
).
Ni
NH
3
NH
3
H
3
N
H
3
N
NH
3
NH
3
2+
transition metal ions
commonly form
tetrahedral complexes
with larger ligands
(e.g.Cl
-
).
2-
Cu
Cl Cl
Cl
Cl
square planar
complexes are also
formed, e.g.
cisplatin
Ag
+
commonly forms
linear complexes
e.g. [Ag(NH
3
)
2
]
+
,
[Ag(S
2
O
3
)
2
]
3-
and
[Ag(CN)
2
]
-
(all
colourless).
Ag H
3
N NH
3
+
2
Pt
Cl
Cl
N H
3
N H
3
2-
Equation to learn!
This equation links the colour and frequency of
the light absorbed with the energy difference
between the split d orbitals
E = hv.
v = frequency of light absorbed (unit s
-1
or Hz)
h=plancks constant 6.63 10
34
J s
E energy difference between split orbitals (J)
A solution will appear blue if it absorbs orange light. The
energy split in the d orbitals E will be equal to the
frequency of orange light(5 x10
14
s
-1
) x plancks constant
E in a blue solution = hv
= 6.63 10
34
x 5 x10
14
= 3.32 10
19
J
N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
3
Variable oxidation states
Transition elements show variable oxidation states
When transition metals form ions they
lose the 4s electrons before the 3d
Reducing Chromium
Cr
3+
(green) and then Cr
2+
(blue) are formed by reduction of
Cr
2
O
7
2-
(orange) by the strong reducing agent zinc in (HCl) acid
solution. Fe
2+
is a less strong reducing agent and will only
reduce the dichromate to Cr
3+
Cr
2
O
7
2-
+ 14H
+
+ 3Zn 2Cr
3+
+ 7H
2
O + 3 Zn
2+
Cr
2
O
7
2-
+ 14H
+
+ 4Zn 2Cr
2+
+ 7H
2
O + 4 Zn
2+
Cr
2
O
7
2-
+ 14H
+
+ 6Fe
2+
2Cr
3+
+ 7H
2
O + 6 Fe
3+
Orange green
The Fe
2+
and Cr
2
O
7
2-
in acid solution reaction can be used
as a quantitative redox titration. This does not need an
indicator
General trends
Relative stability of +2 state with respect to +3 state increases across the period
Compounds with high oxidation states tend to be oxidising agents e.g MnO
4
-
Compounds with low oxidation states are often reducing agents e.g V
2+
& Fe
2+
Keeping the zinc/dichromate under a
hydrogen atmosphere is needed to reduce
to Cr
2+
absorption of visible light is used in spectrometry to
determine the concentration of coloured ions
method
Add an appropriate ligand to intensify colour
Make up solutions of known concentration
Measure absorption or transmission
Plot graph of results or calibration curve
Measure absorption of unknown and compare
If visible light of increasing frequency is passed through a
sample of a coloured complex ion, some of the light is
absorbed.
The amount of light absorbed is proportional to the
concentration of the absorbing species
Some complexes have only pale colours and do not
absorb light strongly. In the cases a suitable ligand is
added to intensify the colour.
Spectrophotometry
Manganate redox titration
The redox titration between Fe
2+
with MnO
4
(purple) is a very
common exercise. This titration is self indicating because of the
significant colour change from reactant to product
MnO
4
-
(aq) + 8H
+
(aq) + 5Fe
2+
(aq) Mn
2+
(aq) + 4H
2
O (l) + 5Fe
3+
(aq)
Purple colourless
Choosing correct acid for manganate titrations.
The acid is needed to supply the 8H
+
ions. Some acids are not suitable as they set up alternative redox
reactions and hence make the titration readings inaccurate.
Only use dilute sulphuric acid for manganate titration
Insufficient volumes of sulphuric acid will mean the solution is not acidic enough and MnO
2
will be produced
instead of Mn
2+
MnO
4
-
(aq) + 4H
+
(aq) + 3e- MnO
2
(s) + 2H
2
O
The brown MnO
2
will mask the colour change and lead to a greater (inaccurate) volume of Manganate being
used in the titration
Using a weak acid like ethanoic acid would have the same effect as it cannot supply the large amount of
hydrogen ions needed (8H
+
)
It cannot be conc HCl as the Cl
-
ions would be oxidised to Cl
2
by MnO
4
-
as the E
o
MnO
4
-
/Mn
2+
> E
o
Cl
2
/Cl
-
MnO
4
-
(aq) + 8H
+
(aq) + 5e
Mn
2+
(aq) + 4H
2
O(l) E+1.51V
Cl
2
(aq) +2e
2Cl
(aq) E +1.36V
This would lead to a greater volume of manganate being used and poisonous Cl
2
being produced
It cannot be nitric acid as it is an oxidising agent. It oxidises Fe
2+
to Fe
3+
as E
o
NO
3
-
/HNO
2
> E
o
Fe
3+
/Fe
2+
NO
3
-
(aq) + 3H
+
(aq) + 2e
HNO
2
(aq) + H
2
O(l) E
o
+0.94V
Fe
3+
(aq)+e
Fe
2+
(aq) E
o
+0.77 V
This would lead to a smaller volume of manganate being used
The purple colour of manganate can make it
difficult to see the bottom of meniscus in
the burette
If the manganate is in the burette then the
end point of the titration will be the first
permanent pink colour
Colourless purple
N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
4
Other useful manganate titrations
With hydrogen peroxide
Ox H
2
O
2
O
2
+ 2H
+
+ 2e
-
Red MnO
4
-
(aq) + 8H
+
(aq) + 5e
-
Mn
2+
(aq) + 4H
2
O
Overall 2MnO
4
-
(aq) + 6H
+
(aq) + 5H
2
O
2
5O
2
+ 2Mn
2+
(aq) + 8H
2
O
Ox C
2
O
4
2-
2CO
2
+ 2e
-
Red MnO
4
-
(aq) + 8H
+
(aq) + 5e
-
Mn
2+
(aq) + 4H
2
O
Overall 2MnO
4
-
(aq) + 16H
+
(aq) + 5C
2
O
4
2-
(aq) 10CO
2
(g) + 2Mn
2+
(aq) + 8H
2
O(l)
With ethanedioate
With Iron (II) ethanedioate both the Fe
2+
and the C
2
O
4
2-
react with the MnO
4
-
1MnO
4
-
reacts with 5Fe
2+
and 2 MnO
4
-
reacts with 5C
2
O
4
2-
MnO
4
-
(aq) + 8H
+
(aq) + 5Fe
2+
Mn
2+
(aq) + 4H
2
O + 5Fe
3+
2MnO
4
-
(aq) + 16H
+
(aq) + 5C
2
O
4
2-
10CO
2
+ 2Mn
2+
(aq) + 8H
2
O
So overall
3MnO
4
-
(aq) + 24H
+
(aq) + 5FeC
2
O
4
10CO
2
+ 3Mn
2+
(aq) + 5Fe
3+
+ 12H
2
O
So overall the ratio is 3 MnO
4
-
to 5 FeC
2
O
4
The reaction between MnO
4
-
and
C
2
O
4
2-
is slow to begin with (as
the reaction is between two
negative ions) To do as a titration
the conical flask can be heated to
60
o
C to speed up the initial
reaction.
be able to perform calculations for these titrations and for
others when the reductant and its oxidation product are given.
A 2.41g nail made from an alloy containing iron is
dissolved in 100cm
3
acid. The solution formed
contains Fe(II) ions.
10cm
3
portions of this solution are titrated with
potassium manganate (VII) solution of 0.02M.
9.80cm
3
of KMnO
4
were needed to react with the
solution containing the iron.
What is the percentage of Iron by mass in the nail?
Manganate titration example
MnO
4
-
(aq)
+ 8H
+
(aq)
+ 5Fe
2+
Mn
2+
(aq)
+ 4H
2
O + 5Fe
3+
Step1 : find moles of KMnO
4
moles = conc x vol
0.02 x 9.8/1000
= 1.96x10
-4
mol
Step 2 : using balanced equation find moles Fe
2+
in 10cm
3
= moles of KMnO
4
x 5
= 9.8x10
-4
mol
Step 3 : find moles Fe
2+
in 100cm
3
= 9.8x10
-4
mol x 10
= 9.8x10
-3
mol
Step 4 : find mass of Fe in 9.8x10
-3
mol
mass= moles x RAM = 9.8x10
-3
x 55.8 = 0.547g
Step 5 ; find % mass
%mass = 0.547/2.41 x100
= 22.6%
N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
A 1.412 g sample of impure FeC
2
O
4
.2H
2
O
was dissolved in an excess of dilute
sulphuric acid and made up to 250 cm
3
of
solution. 25.0 cm
3
of this solution
decolourised 23.45 cm
3
of a 0.0189 mol
dm
3
solution of potassium
manganate(VII).
What is the the percentage by mass of
FeC
2
O
4
.2H
2
O in the original sample?
Step1 : find moles of KMnO
4
moles = conc x vol
0.0189 x 23.45/1000
= 4.43x10
-4
mol
Step 2 : using balanced equation find moles FeC
2
O
4
.2H
2
O in 25cm
3
= moles of KMnO
4
x 5/3 (see above for ratio)
= 7.39x10
-4
mol
Step 3 : find moles FeC
2
O
4
.2H
2
O in 250 cm
3
= 7.39x10
-4
mol x 10
= 7.39x10
-3
mol
Step 4 : find mass of FeC
2
O
4
.2H
2
O in 7.39x10
-3
mol
mass= moles x Mr = 7.39x10
-3
x 179.8 = 1.33g
Step 5 ; find % mass
%mass = 1.33/1.412 x100
= 94.1%
5
Oxidation in alkaline solution
When transition metals in low oxidation states are in alkaline
solution they are more easily oxidised than when in acidic solution
[M(H
2
O)
6
]
2+
(aq) [M(OH)
4
]
2-
(aq)
excessNaOH
Acidified
Not easy to oxidise
alkaline
easier to oxidise
It is easier to remove an electron
from a negatively charged ion
The metal ions can be oxidised by using
oxidising agents such as hydrogen peroxide
and sometimes by standing in air
Chromium and cobalt compounds can be oxidised by using the oxidising agent hydrogen peroxide
Cr(OH)
6
3-
(aq)
H
2
O
2
CrO
4
2-
(aq) Cr(H
2
O)
6
3+
Excess
NaOH
2 [Cr(OH)
6
]
3-
+ 3H
2
O
2
2CrO
4
2-
+2OH
-
+ 8H
2
O
Co(H
2
O)
4
(OH)
2
(s)
blue precipitate
Co(H
2
O)
3
(OH)
3
(s)
brown precipitate
H
2
O
2
Green solution yellow solution
Ammonical oxidation of Cobalt Ammonia ligands make the Co(II) state unstable
and easier to oxidise. Air oxidises Co(II) to Co(III).
[Co(NH
3
)
6
]
2+
(aq) [Co(NH
3
)
6
]
3+
(aq) + e
Brown solution yellow solution
[Co(H
2
O)
6
]
2+
(aq)
pink solution
O
2
Excess NH
3
Co(H
2
O)
4
(OH)
2
(s)
blue precipitate
little OH
-
or NH
3
Co(H
2
O)
3
(OH)
3
(s)
brown precipitate
O
2
Reduction :H
2
O
2
+ 2e
-
2OH
-
Oxidation: [Cr(OH)
6
]
3-
+ 2OH
-
CrO
4
2-
+ 3e
-
+ 4H
2
O
Re :H
2
O
2
+ 2e
-
2OH
-
Ox: Co(H
2
O)
4
(OH)
2
+ OH
-
Co(H
2
O)
3
(OH)
3
+ e
-
+ H
2
O
2Co(H
2
O)
4
(OH)
2
+ H
2
O
2
2Co(H
2
O)
3
(OH)
3
+ 2H
2
O
Half equations in alkaline conditions:
These are more difficult to do than half
equations under acidic conditions. The
easiest way of doing it is to balance as
if under acidic conditions then add OH
-
ions to both sides to convert to
alkaline
[Cr(OH)
6
]
3-
+ 2OH
-
CrO
4
2-
+ 3e
-
+ 4H
2
O
For change Cr(OH)
6
3-
CrO
4
2-
Add H
2
O to balance O: [Cr(OH)
6
]
3-
CrO
4
2-
+ 2H
2
O + 3e
-
Add H
+
to balance H: [Cr(OH)
6
]
3-
CrO
4
2-
+ 2H
2
O + 2H
+
+ 3e
-
[Cr(OH)
6
]
3-
+2OH
-
CrO
4
2-
+ 2H
2
O + 2H
+
+2OH
-
+ 3e
-
Add OH
-
to both sides
to cancel out H
+
:
H
2
O
2
could also bring
about the oxidation
Chromate/ dichromate equilibrium
2 CrO
4
2-
+ 2H
+
Cr
2
O
7
2-
+ H
2
O
Yellow solution orange solution
The chromate CrO
4
2-
and dichromate Cr
2
O
7
2-
ions can be converted
from one to the other by the following equilibrium reaction
This is not a redox reaction as both
the chromate and dichromate ions
have an oxidation number of +6. This
is an acid base reaction
Addition of acid will by application of le chatelier push the equilibrium to the dichromate
Addition of alkali will remove the H
+
ions and, by application of le chatelier, push the equilibrium to
the chromate
The O
2
half equation for these reactions is:- O
2
+ 2H
2
O + 4e
-
4OH
-
[Co(NH
3
)
6
]
2+
[Co(NH
3
)
6
]
3+
+e
-
Overall 4[Co(NH
3
)
6
]
2+
O
2
+ 2H
2
O4[Co(NH
3
)
6
]
3+
+4OH
-
Be able to combine the H
2
O
2
and O
2
half equations with other oxidation reactions
N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
6
Transition metals and their compounds can
act as heterogeneous and homogeneous
catalysts.
Catalysis
A heterogeneous catalyst is in a different phase from the reactants
A homogeneous catalyst is in the same phase as the reactants
Surface area:
Increasing the surface area of a solid catalyst will
improve its effectiveness. A support medium is often
used to maximise the surface area and minimise the
cost (e.g. Rh on a ceramic support in catalytic
converters).
Heterogeneous catalysts are usually solids
whereas the reactants are gaseous or in solution.
The reaction occurs at the surface of the catalyst.
Heterogeneous catalysis
Adsorption of reactants at active sites on the surface
may lead to catalytic action. The active site is the place
where the reactants adsorb on to the surface of the
catalyst. This can result in the bonds within the reactant
molecules becoming weaker, or the molecules being held in
a more reactive configuration. There will also be a higher
concentration of reactants at the solid surface so leading to
a higher collision frequency
Transition Metals can use the 3d and 4s e- of atoms on the
metal surface to form weak bonds to the reactants.
Steps in Heterogeneous Catalysis
1. Reactants form bonds with atoms at active sites on
the surface of the catalyst (adsorbed onto the
surface)
2. As a result bonds in the reactants are weakened
and break
3. New bonds form between the reactants held close
together on catalyst surface
4. This in turn weakens bonds between product and
catalyst and product leaves (desorbs)
Strength of adsorption
The strength of adsorption helps to determine the
effectiveness of the catalytic activity
Some metals e.g. W have too strong adsorption and
so the products cannot be released
Some metals e.g. Ag have too weak adsorption, and
the reactants do not adsorb in high enough
concentration
Ni and Pt have about the right strength and are most
useful as catalysts
Catalysts increase reaction rates without getting used up. They do this by providing an
alternative route with a lower activation energy
V
2
O
5
is used as a catalyst in the Contact Process.
Overall equation : 2SO
2
+ O
2
2SO
3
step 1 SO
2
+ V
2
O
5
SO
3
+ V
2
O
4
step 2 2V
2
O
4
+ O
2
2V
2
O
5
Examples of heterogeneous catalysts
Learn the equations for this mechanism. Note the oxidation
number of the vanadium changes and then changes back. It is
still classed as a catalyst as it returns to its original form
Cr
2
O
3
catalyst is used in the manufacture of
methanol from carbon monoxide and hydrogen
CO + 2H
2
CH
3
OH
Fe is used as a catalyst in the Haber Process
N
2
+ 3H
2
2NH
3
Poisoning Catalysts
catalysts can become poisoned by impurities
and consequently have reduced efficiency
Poisoning has a cost implication e.g. poisoning by sulphur
in the Haber Process and by lead in catalytic converters
in cars means that catalysts lose their efficiency and may
need to be replaced
Leaded petrol cannot be used in cars fitted with a catalytic
converter since lead strongly adsorbs onto the surface of
the catalyst
It is important to ensure the purity of the
reactants if poisoning can occur
When catalysts and reactants are in the same phase,
the reaction proceeds through an intermediate species
Homogeneous catalysis
The intermediate will often have a different oxidation state
to the original transition metal. At the end of the reaction
the original oxidation state will reoccur. This illustrates
importance of variable oxidation states of transition
metals in catalysis
N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
Examples of homogeneous catalysts
The reaction between I
-
and S
2
O
8
2-
catalysed by Fe
2+
overall S
2
O
8
2-
+ 2I
-
2SO
4
2-
+ I
2
Catalysed alternative route
stage 1 S
2
O
8
2-
+ 2Fe
2+
2SO
4
2-
+ 2Fe
3+
stage2 2I
-
+ 2Fe
3+
2Fe
2+
+ I
2
The uncatalysed reaction is very slow because the reaction
needs a collision between two negative ions. Repulsion
between the ions is going to hinder this meaning high
activation energy
Learn these 2 examples and equations carefully
Both of the individual stages in the catalysed mechanism
involve collision between positive and negative ions and will
have lower activation energies.
The autocatalysis by Mn
2+
in titrations of C
2
O
4
2-
with MnO
4
-
overall 2 MnO
4
-
+ 5 C
2
O
4
2-
+ 16 H
+
2Mn
2+
+ 10 CO
2
+ 8 H
2
O
Catalysed alternative route
Step 1 4Mn
2+
+ MnO
4
-
+ 8 H
+
5Mn
3
+ + 4 H
2
O
Step 2 2Mn
3+
+ C
2
O
4
2-
2Mn
2+
+ 2 CO
2
The initial uncatalysed reaction is slow because the reaction needs
a collision between two negative ions which repel each other
leading to a high activation energy
As the Mn
2+
ions are produced act as an autocatalyst and the
reaction starts to speed up as they bring about the alternative
reaction route with lower activation energy.
The reaction eventually slows as the MnO
4
-
concentration drops
This is an example of autocatalysis where one of the
products of the reaction can catalyse the reaction
Mixture with only
reactants showing
effect of
autocatalysis
Mixture with
added
catalyst Mn
2+
at start
Following the reaction rate
This can be done by removing samples at set times and titrating to work out the concentration of MnO
4
-
.
It could also be done by use of a spectrometer measuring the intensity of the purple colour. This method has the
advantage that it does not disrupt the reaction mixture, using up the reactants and it leads to a much quicker
determination of concentration
Autocatalytic Reaction between Ethanedioate and Manganate ions
Reaction between iodide and persulphate ions
Fe
3+
ions can also act as the catalyst because the two steps in the catalysed mechanism can occur in any order
7
Constructing a catalysed mechanism for a reaction
Example
The following reaction is catalysed by Co
2+
ions in an acidic solution. SO
3
2
+ O
2
SO
4
2
.
Write a mechanism for the catalysed reaction by writing two equations involving Co
2+
and Co
3+
ions
Split full equation into its
two half equations
SO
3
2
+ O
2
SO
4
2
SO
3
2
+ H
2
O SO
4
2
+ 2H
+
+ 2e
-
O
2
+ 2H
+
+ 2e
-
H
2
O
Add in cobalt to make two
new redox equations.
Making sure the oxidised
cobalt equation is
combined with the original
reduced half equation and
vice versa
Co
2+
Co
3+
+ e-
Co
3+
+ e- Co
2+
O
2
+ 2H
+
+ 2Co
2+
H
2
O + 2Co
3+
2Co
3+
+ SO
3
2
+ H
2
O SO
4
2
+ 2H
+
+ 2Co
2+
Check your two mechanism
equations add up to the original full
non catalysed equation
N !o"#$% c&e're(ise)or*
8
Other applications of transition metal complexes
Fe(II) in haemoglobin enables oxygen to be transported in the blood . Haem is an iron(II) complex with a multidentate ligand.
CO is toxic to humans as CO can from a strong coordinate bond with haemoglobin. This is a stronger bond than that made
with oxygen and so it prevents the oxygen attaching to the haemoglobin..
The Pt(II) complex cisplatin is used as an anticancer drug.
Pt
2+
Cl
-
Cl
-
N H
3
N H
3
Pt
2+
NH
3
Cl
-
Cl
-
N H
3
cisplatin transplatin
The cisplatin version only works as two chloride ions are displaced and the
molecule joins on to the DNA. In doing this it stops the replication of
cancerous cells.
It can also prevent the replication of
healthy cells by bonding on to
healthy DNA which may lead to
unwanted side effects like hair loss
In the body one Cl ligand is subsituted by a water molecule
Pt(NH
3
)
2
Cl
2
+ H
2
O [Pt(NH
3
)
2
Cl(H
2
O)]
+
+ Cl