Home › Previous year questions › GATE 2021 CY › Question 35GATE 2021 CY – Question 35 Inorganic Chemistry · Transition Metals: Coordination chemistry – structure and isomerism, theories of bonding (VBT, CFT, and MOT). Metal-metal multiple bonds. Energy level diagrams in various crystal fields, CFSE, applications of CFT, Jahn-Teller distortion. Electronic spectra of transition metal complexes: spectroscopic term symbols, selection rules, Orgel and Tanabe-Sugano diagrams, nephelauxetic effect and Racah parameter, charge-transfer spectra. Magnetic properties of transition metal complexes. Ray-Dutt and Bailar twists, Reaction mechanisms: kinetic and thermodynamic stability, associative, dissociative substitution and redox reactions. · 1 mark · Numerical answer
The spin-only magnetic moment of $[Co(H_2O)_6]^{2+}$ is ______ BM (one decimal place).
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Show answer and explanation Correct answer: 3.8 to 4.0
Explanation Co(II) is d7 and water produces a high-spin octahedral complex. Its t2g⁵eg² configuration contains three unpaired electrons. The spin-only moment is √[n(n+2)] BM=√15=3.873 BM, giving **3.9 BM** to one decimal. Orbital contributions are excluded by the wording.