L1 /
6
CH1012
COLOUR
COLOUR IN METAL
COMPLEXES
• Main group ions have achieved a noble gas electronic configuration and so electronic
transitions occur between
orbitals with
different principal quantum numbers (n) – shell number eg 1s ® 2s.
• The energy
differences correspond to the energy of ultraviolet light, so that they normally
appear colourless eg.
NaCl
•The transition metal ions may exist in a variety of oxidation states so that obtaining a noble gas configuration is not critical.
