Chemistry / Unit 12 Chem 2406 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Twin: The High-Spin Complex
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The idea
A high-spin complex forms when splitting is small enough that electrons occupy every d orbital singly before pairing, maximizing unpaired electrons.
In practice
[Fe(H2O)6]2+, with water as a weak-field ligand, is high-spin, carrying four unpaired electrons among six.
Where people slip
High-spin does not describe a metal's identity — the same ion can be high-spin with one ligand, low-spin with another, since the ligand sets splitting size.
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