How do i figure out the electron configuration of Fe(C2O4)3^3- ?
Your know the charge of the oxalate ion (you should have these memorized) http://www2.pvc.maricopa.edu/tutor/chem/chem130/nomenclature/polyatomicion.html , so knowing that, and knowing O (the basic seven rules), you know C and O. Then, you know Fe from the oxalate charge, and the overall charge of the ion.
To determine the electron configuration of Fe(C2O4)3^3-, we need to first understand the electron configuration of the individual elements involved.
1. Start with Iron (Fe):
The atomic number of Iron (Fe) is 26. This means it has 26 electrons. The electron configuration of Iron in its ground state can be represented as: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d6.
2. Next, consider the C2O4 ligand:
C2O4 is the oxalate ion, which is a bidentate ligand. It has a charge of -2. The electron configuration of carbon (C) is 1s2 2s2 2p2. Oxygen (O) has an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2 2p4.
3. Now, let’s look at the complex [Fe(C2O4)3]^3-:
Since there are three oxalate ions (C2O4) in the complex, we need to multiply the electron configuration of C2O4 by 3.
Since oxalate is bidentate, each C2O4 supplies a total of 6 electrons (2 from each carbon and 4 from each oxygen) to form a coordinate bond with Iron (Fe).
Considering this, you can add the three C2O4 ligands to Iron (Fe) and distribute the electrons to obtain the electron configuration for Fe(C2O4)3^3-. The electron configuration for Fe(C2O4)3^3- would be: [Fe(C2O4)3]^3-: [Ar] 4s0 3d5
In summary, to determine the electron configuration of Fe(C2O4)3^3-, you need to know the electron configurations of Iron (Fe) and the ligands (C2O4), and then combine them accordingly.