Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-chemistry-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/paper-2/b6/b/ii/solution
Past exam of the chemistry B course of the University of Cambridge 2023 Paper 2 B6 b ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
cyclohexylamine is expected highest in the spectrochemical series for comparable metal environments. Its alkyl substituent increases the electron-donating ability of nitrogen relative to ammonia, strengthening the sigma interaction and raising the metal–ligand sigma-antibonding levels. The anionic pi donors tend to raise occupied metal levels and give smaller splittings. Steric effects and the metal can modify the exact ordering, so the comparison is a ligand field trend rather than a universal basicity-to-splitting identity.
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