DESCRIPTION:
So this is module three of A2 chemistry
It's Hassy M here and my boy Sam P
We'll run through it easy like a-b-c
Or 1 2 3 if you just follow me
So what's a transition metal? Well let me you tell,
It forms an ion with an incomplete d sub shell

All elements form in a regular way
Except chromium and copper cos they're insane:
Their 4s aint filled while 3d fills away
WOW, what did you say?
I said their 4s aint filled while 3d fills away

Oxidation states are a thing of the past
They vary so vast while their coloured compounds last
I mean vanadium's pink in the 2+ state
While cobalt 3+ is a green brown slate.
Just wait, for a minute or two
While I tell you about something a little bit new:
Transition metals catalyse and precipitate too!
The Haber process or maybe the Contact?
Bung a bit of iron or V2O5 for that
Hydrogenation or decomposition?
Nickel and Mn won't change the equilibrium position
Or composition, cos the mission of the transition
Is too speed up both ways by equal addition.

Precipitation forms an (OH)2
Like Cu(OH)2 is a deep dark blue
Moving onto ligands of which I'm quite fond
They donate their lone pair to form a coordinate bond
Now coordination number takes us far beyond
The mental capacity of your everyday blond.
Sorry Elly, but the number of bonds, not matter if they form by
Mono, bi, or hexadentate ligands that we apply
The shape will vary: where octahedral is six
To understand that I hope you've had your Weetabix
Square planar and tetrahedral are the building bricks
Of a mix molecules on which your mind will transfix
Stereoisomers: optical and cis-trans
Require a whole weeks learning so re-write all your plans.
I wanna see all of the hands of all of the fans
Now drawing out structures which look like mirrored scans

Finally now we've come to the end
And ligand substitution is out latest friend
The displacement of ligands is a necessary trend
Like NH3 and H2O in a CU2+ blend
This dark blue colour is a like MnO4 minus
Which in redox titrations has unmatchable slyness,
While faking shyness, up it creeps and turns the solution pink
Don't blink cos you'll miss it, don't even wink
And when it's on the brink, it makes a perfect drink!