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Author: Subject: Complex charges
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[*] posted on 3-6-2005 at 20:49
Complex charges


Why does the [Cr(H2O)3(OH)3] go to [Cr(OH)6]-3 but [Al(H2O)3(OH)3] only goes to [Al(H2O)2(OH)4]-?



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Nerro
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[*] posted on 4-6-2005 at 02:12


I believe it has to do with the ionradius and the electropositivity of the metal ions. They make OH- out of H2O because they pull the O's of the H2O to them but repell the H's which then eventually become detached from the H2O to yield OH-. Obviously this also has to do with the pH of hte solution in which the metals are present. At very high pH's this is more likely to occur.

(That's what my highschool teacher told me, next year I will stumble upon this post and smile at my own ignorance :))




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[*] posted on 4-6-2005 at 07:58


It is because Al is much smaller (with only one subshell/octett of electrons), so the tetrahedral form is preferred - similar to NaBH4.

While chromium is a transition metal that has free electron pairs in the subshells which participate in complexation, i.e. the water molecules are coordinated by the free electron pairs, forming some hydrogen-bond type bonding.
That's why these hyrates can't be dehydrated without loss of the counterion, and that's why the hydrates have much different properties to the i.e. metal chloride itself.




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