Effect of transition metal ion on rates of hydrogen exchange in metal ammines

Abstract The rate of hydrogen exchange of metal ammines decreases with increasing atomic number of the metal for a given family of elements. For iso-electronic systems the rate increases markedly with increasing charge of the metal ion. Square complexes exchange more rapidly than do octahedral ammines of neighbouring metals. These results are discussed in terms of the crystal (ligand) field theory of bonding for transition metal complexes.