Transition metals: Treasures of the periodic table

Transition metals are elements from groups 3 to 12 of the periodic table, Including scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), prasmium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu) and lanthanide elements, etc. These elements exhibit great diversity and complexity in their chemical properties due to the complex electronic structure of their outer layers, which can form many different oxidation states and coordination numbers.

Transition metals show good reactivity and plasticity in chemical reactions, and can form a variety of different compounds, including metal-organic compounds, metal oxides, metal sulfides, metal halides, etc. In addition, transition metals can also form complexes with coordination numbers ranging from 2 to 18, which allows transition metals to form stable complexes with many different ligands.

Transition metals have important application value in industry and daily life. For example, transition metal elements such as iron, manganese and copper are widely used in steel, construction, electronics, aerospace and other fields. Transition metal elements such as cobalt and nickel are important raw materials for batteries, magnetic materials and other fields. In addition, lanthanides have been widely used in the fields of optics and catalysis.

Transition metals have some common properties:

1. Variety of oxidation states: Transition metals can form a variety of different oxidation states, such as iron can be from +2 to +6, copper can be from +1 to +4 and so on. This allows transition metals to form a variety of different compounds, and changes in the oxidation state can affect the properties and reactivity of the compounds.

2. Complex formation: Transition metals are able to form stable complexes with many different ligands, mainly due to the sufficient plasticity and diversity of their outer electronic structures. The formation of complexes can affect the chemical reactivity and catalytic performance of transition metals.

3. Reactivity and plasticity: Transition metals show good reactivity and plasticity in chemical reactions, can react with a variety of different elements and compounds, and can change their oxidation states and coordination numbers.

4. Magnetic and catalytic properties: Transition metals can exhibit strong magnetic properties, such as iron, cobalt, nickel and other elements, which makes them useful for the manufacture of magnetic materials and catalysts.

Conclusion:

Transition metals exhibit great diversity and complexity in their chemical properties, which makes them important applications in industry and everyday life. However, due to the complexity of their chemical properties, it is also difficult to recognize and understand them. In-depth study of the chemical properties and reactivity of transition metals and exploration of new transition metal compounds and materials will help promote the wider application and development of transition metals in industrial and technological fields.