We have used our understanding of basic principles of chemistry to
undertake brief explorations of the properties and reactivity of organic
compounds and main-group elements, particularly those of the p-block
elements. We now turn to the more complex chemistry of the transition
metals, which consist of the metals found in Groups 3B–2B (Groups 3–12
in the IUPAC numbering system) of the periodic table. These elements play
crucial roles in the manufacture of modern materials and in many important
biological processes. In this unit we will examine how the metals are
formed from their ores, used in alloys, and used to form coordination complexes,
which are special types of Lewis acid–base compounds.