Magnetic Properties of Coordination Compounds
The magnetic behavior (paramagnetic or diamagnetic) of coordination compounds depends on the number of unpaired electrons, which is influenced by ligand field strength and geometry.
Why this shows up in the exam
You will be asked to predict or calculate magnetic moments and classify complexes as paramagnetic or diamagnetic.
How NEET tests this
Practise it
These are real questions from past NEET papers that test this exact idea.
[Cr(H₂O)₆]Cl₃ (At. no. of Cr = 24) has a magnetic moment of 3.83 B.M. The correct distribution of 3d electrons in the chromium of the complex is
Push further
More challenging27 harder questions built from the past papers above — a step up in difficulty, with distractors designed so you can't get there by elimination. Written and checked by our reviewers, not from a real paper.
The complex [CoF6]3- (Atomic number of Co = 27) exhibits a magnetic moment of 4.90 B.M. What is the correct distribution of 3d electrons in the central metal ion in this octahedral complex?
More from Coordination Compounds
Isomerism in Coordination Compounds
Coordination compounds exhibit various types of isomerism, including structural (ionization, linkage, coordination, solvate) and stereoisomerism (geometrical, optical, fac-mer), depending on their geometry and ligand arrangement.
Crystal Field Theory and Spectrochemical Series
Crystal field theory explains the splitting of d-orbitals in different ligand fields, the spectrochemical series ranks ligands by field strength, and these concepts determine electronic configuration, color, and magnetism.
Structure and Bonding in Metal Carbonyls
Metal carbonyls are organometallic complexes with unique bonding involving σ-donation and π-back bonding, affecting their geometry, bond lengths, and properties.
Applications of Coordination Compounds
Coordination compounds have important applications in medicine, industry, and analytical chemistry, such as in cisplatin (anticancer), electroplating, photography, and vitamin B₁₂.
Types of Ligands and Denticity
Ligands are classified by the number of donor atoms (denticity) and their ability to bind in different ways, including monodentate, bidentate, polydentate, ambidentate, homoleptic, and heteroleptic ligands.
Coordination Geometry and Hybridization
The geometry of coordination complexes (octahedral, tetrahedral, square planar, etc.) is determined by the hybridization of the central metal's orbitals and the nature of the ligands.