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Generally transition elements form coloured salts due to the presence of unpaired electrons. Which of the following compounds will be coloured in solid state?

A. Ag₂SO₄
B. CuF₂
C. ZnF₂
D. Cu₂Cl₂

1 Answer

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Final answer:

CuF₂ and Cu₂Cl₂ are expected to be colored due to unpaired d-electrons in copper, while Ag₂SO₄ and ZnF₂ are colorless as silver and zinc usually have filled or empty d-orbitals which do not absorb visible light. The correct answers are option: B. CuF₂ and D. Cu₂Cl₂.

Step-by-step explanation:

Generally, transition elements form coloured salts due to the presence of unpaired electrons in their d-orbitals, which allow them to absorb certain wavelengths of light resulting in the coloration of their compounds.

Among the options provided, CuF₂ and Cu₂Cl₂ would be expected to be colored in the solid state because copper (Cu) is a transition metal that typically has unpaired d-electrons in its common oxidation states, leading to colored compounds.

In contrast, Ag₂SO₄ (silver sulfate) and ZnF₂ (zinc fluoride) are usually colorless because silver and zinc typically do not have unpaired d-electrons in their respective stable oxidation states, which results in compounds that are generally colorless.

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