- 2075 Baisakh · 1 mark
Stability of Fe³⁺ vs Fe²⁺
Short answer
Fe³⁺ (3d⁵) has a stable half-filled d subshell with high exchange energy. Fe²⁺ (3d⁶) readily loses one electron to attain this d⁵ configuration, so Fe³⁺ compounds are more stable and Fe²⁺ is easily oxidised.
Explain why Fe³⁺ compounds are more stable than Fe²⁺.
Fe³⁺ has the configuration 3d⁵, a half-filled d subshell, which has extra stability due to symmetrical electron distribution and high exchange energy. Fe²⁺ is 3d⁶, and loses one electron easily to reach the stable d⁵ state (Fe²⁺ → Fe³⁺ + e⁻). So Fe²⁺ compounds are readily oxidised by air, whereas Fe³⁺ compounds are more stable.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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