Why do lanthanides have +3 oxidation state(most stable).

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the oxidation states of lanthanides, specifically why the +3 oxidation state is considered the most stable, despite the possibility of other oxidation states such as +2 and +4. The scope includes electronic configurations and their implications for oxidation states.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that lanthanides can exhibit +2, +3, and +4 oxidation states, questioning why +3 is the most stable.
  • One participant suggests examining the electronic configuration of lanthanides, specifically the arrangement of electrons in the 4f, 5d, and 6s orbitals.
  • Another participant discusses the implications of having 0 or 1 electron in the 5d subshell on the oxidation state, suggesting that this affects the number of valence electrons.
  • There is a query about how the oxidation state can remain +3 when the electronic configuration is 4f0-145d06s2, which seems to imply a different number of valence electrons.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express uncertainty regarding the relationship between electronic configuration and oxidation states, indicating that there is no consensus on the reasons for the stability of the +3 oxidation state.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of clarity on how different electronic configurations lead to varying oxidation states and the assumptions underlying these configurations.

Raghav Gupta
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Lanthanides can exhibit 2,4 states also but why 3 is most stable one?
 
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Have you checked their electronic configuration?
 
Borek said:
Have you checked their electronic configuration?
Yes, 4f0-145d0-16s2.
So when d has 1 electron then we can say that there are 3 valence electrons but in case there are 0 electrons in d then it should be 2 , the most stable but that is not so.
What to do?
 
Borek said:
Have you checked their electronic configuration?
You may think that I have understood or answered on my own in above post.
But carefully looking that is not so.
I mean when the elec. con. Is 4f0-145d16s2 the oxidation number is 3 which is okay but how when
elec. con. Is 4f0-145d06s2 the oxidation number could be 3?
Shouldn't that be 2?
 

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