Sample Exercise
Four-coordinate nickel(II) complexes exhibit both square-planer and tetrahedral geometries. The tetrahedral ones, such as [NiCl4]2-, are paramagnetic; the square-planer ones, such as [Ni(CN)4]2-, are diamagnetic. Show how the d electrons of nickel (II) populate the d orbitals in the appropriate crystal-field splitting diagram in each case.
SOLUTION Nickel(II) has an electron configuration of [Ar]3d8. The population of the d electrons in the two geometries is given here.