Transisiton metal electronic structure question.

[MattA147]

Transisiton metal electronic structure question. :)

Hey guys, basically I know that Chromium and Copper "donate" one of their electrons from the 4s sub-shell to the 3d sub-shell. Is this true for ALL transition metals?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

 

[Mike H]

There are a number of heavier elements that are exceptions. You can find further reading on this topic "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_configuration" and "chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Inorganic_Chemistry/Electronic_Configurations" . While the explanation of filled and half-filled shells being favorable applies for copper and chromium in a fairly transparent manner, it becomes a far more complicated matter for other elements.