Which of the following cannot be deduced from the electronic configuration of a transition metal?
Possession of magnetic property
Ability to form complex ions
Position in the Periodic Table
Variable oxidation states
Physical properties of the metal
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Discussions (11)
Atoms with unpaired electron in their orbital are attracted strongly to the strongest part of a magnet...so the ans shoud be E
Please you guys should try to be accurate with your answer because we are trying to write jamb o like we don’t need answer from here and there wrong please try to make your answers accurate and So our reading is made easy not making things difficult. plssss my school its really fustrating not knowing which answer is right either you ir the students commenting
Pls Myschool, the ans is D because they said according to the electronic configuration and oxidation states is according to the electronic configuration. Pls try and be more accurate
he correct answer is A. Possession of magnetic property.
Why A cannot be directly deduced from the electronic configuration:
The electronic configuration (e.g., [Ar] 4s² 3d⁶ for iron) tells us the number of unpaired electrons in the ground state atom. While unpaired electrons are linked to paramagnetism, the actual magnetic property observed (paramagnetic, diamagnetic, ferromagnetic, etc.) depends on additional factors not shown in the configuration alone, such as:
Whether the substance is in solid, solution, or compound form.
Crystal structure and magnetic domain alignment (for ferromagnetism, like in iron).
Temperature and pairing in compounds or ions.
You can predict the possibility of paramagnetism, but not the full magnetic behavior reliably just from the configuration.
Why the others can be deduced:
B. Ability to form complex ions — Transition metals have partially filled d-orbitals (incomplete d-subshell), which allows them to accept lone pairs from ligands → complex formation. This is clear from the configuration.
C. Position in the Periodic Table — The configuration directly shows the period (principal quantum number) and the block (d-block for transition metals), plus the group from the total valence electrons (ns + (n-1)d).
D. Variable oxidation states — Partially filled d-orbitals mean electrons can be lost from both 4s and 3d subshells with relatively similar energies → multiple stable oxidation states (e.g., Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺).
E. Physical properties of the metal — Things like high melting/boiling points, density, hardness, and metallic character arise from strong metallic bonding involving d-electrons. These trends and general properties are predictable from the presence of d-electrons in the configuration.
This is a standard WAEC/JAMB-style question, and option A is the accepted answer in exam resources.
Note: Magnetic properties are related to unpaired d-electrons, but they are not straightforwardly "deduced" like the others, which follow more directly and reliably from the configuration.2sFast
the answer is E all other characteristics are due their completely filled d orbital
