Why Are Octahedral Complexes the Most Common in Crystal Field Theory?

[MathewsMD]

I have recently been learning CTF and energy differences and orbital splitting is starting to make sense to me a bit more. I have not seen any definitive answers yet so any help would be great. In CTF, octahedral complexes are most common and there are 5 d orbitals that participate. Whether it is a high energy or low energy configuration, I don't quite understand how there are 6 attracted (bonded?) ligands to the central metal. There is electron pairing occurring and I am just confused why an octahedral arrangement is the most common in this case. Why not an arrangement with less ligands since that would result in less repulsion?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

 

[MathewsMD]

any help please?

 

[DrDu]

It is not that octahedral complexes are most common, but that these are easierst to discuss within CFT and thus dominate pedagogic introductions on CFT.

 

[MathewsMD]

It is not that octahedral complexes are most common, but that these are easierst to discuss within CFT and thus dominate pedagogic introductions on CFT.

Says that they are the most common: http://2012books.lardbucket.org/boo...mistry-v1.0m/s27-05-crystal-field-theory.html

 

[DrDu]

Ok, octahedral complexes are in deed very common. However, CFT does not explain why and when octahedral complexes are formed as it does not consider the bonding between the central metal and the ligands.
This is a theme of ligand field theory.