Question

Give reasons for the following statement:

Transition metals and most of their compounds show paramagnetic behaviour.

Give reasons:

Transition metals show paramagnetism.

Why do most of the transition metals show paramagnetic behaviour?

Why do most of the transition metals and their compounds exhibit paramagnetic behaviour?

Explain giving reasons:

Transition metals and many of their compounds show paramagnetic behaviour.

Why do most of the transition metals and their compounds exhibit paramagnetic behaviour? How is their paramagnetic behaviour related to the number of unpaired electrons?

Explain the following:

Transition metals and their compounds generally exhibit a paramagnetic behaviour.

Answer 1

1. They have unpaired electrons in their (n − 1)d orbitals.
2. The presence of these unpaired electrons causes attraction towards a magnetic field, resulting in paramagnetic behavior.
3. The number of unpaired electrons increases from left to the middle of the transition series, so paramagnetism increases and then decreases towards the end.
4. Transition metals or ions with all paired electrons show diamagnetism, not paramagnetism.

Thus, paramagnetism in transition metals arises from unpaired electrons in d-orbitals, causing magnetic moments.