Calculate crystal field stabilization energy for transition metal complexes
Octahedral: t₂g (lower, -0.4Δo each), eg (higher, +0.6Δo each)
Tetrahedral: e (lower, -0.6Δt each), t₂ (higher, +0.4Δt each)
High Spin: Weak field ligands, maximize unpaired electrons, Δ < pairing energy
Low Spin: Strong field ligands, pair electrons in lower orbitals, Δ > pairing energy
Maximum LFSE: d³ (Oh), d⁶ (Oh low spin), d⁸ (Oh)
Ligand Field Stabilization Energy (LFSE) quantifies the energetic stabilization of a transition metal complex due to d-orbital splitting in a ligand field. In crystal field theory, ligands approach the metal ion and cause the five degenerate d-orbitals to split into groups of different energies. The magnitude of this splitting and the resulting electronic configuration determine the LFSE and many properties of the complex.