Transition metal

Transition metals are any of various chemical elements that have valence electrons—i.e., electrons that can participate in the formation of chemical bonds—in two shells instead of only one. While the term transition has no particular chemical significance, it is a convenient name by which to distinguish the similarity of the atomic structures and resulting properties of the elements so designated. They occupy the middle portions of the long periods of the periodic table of elements between the groups on the left-hand side and the groups on the right.

Characteristics

The most striking similarities shared by the 24 elements in question are that they are all metals and that most of them are hard, strong, and lustrous, have high melting and boiling points, and are good conductors of heat and electricity.

Electron Configuration

The electron configurations of the transition elements are very important because of the role they play in the types of compounds that the elements form. The electron configuration of an atom shows how the electrons are distributed among various atomic orbitals.

Biological Role

Transition metals are essential for life because they are involved in a wide range of physiological processes. They are important in the active sites of enzymes, where they bind to the enzyme and participate in catalysis.

Industrial Applications

Transition metals are used in a wide variety of applications, including in the manufacture of aircraft and spacecraft, in the production of steel and other alloys, and in the creation of pigments for paints and dyes.

See Also

• Periodic Table
• Chemical Bond
• Electron Configuration
• Enzymes
• Catalysis

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