Answer to Question #56732 in Inorganic Chemistry for Darrah

Question

When Cr2+ is linked with a strong–field ligand to produce an octahedral complex, the ion has two unpaired electrons. When it is linked with a weak–field ligand, the ion has four unpaired electrons. In contrast, the complex resulting from Cr3+ always has three unpaired electrons regardless of the nature of the ligand. Explain.