Zinc is not regarded as a true transition element because
- A. it is not a metal
- B. it forms no compounds
- C. it has no d electrons at all
- D. its atom and its only ion both have a completely filled 3d subshell
Explanation
Zinc is 3d10 4s2 as the atom and 3d10 as the Zn2+ ion, so it never has a partly filled d subshell and consequently shows only one oxidation state, forms colourless compounds and is a poor catalyst. It sits in the d block by position but fails the chemical test. Scandium is excluded at the other end of the row, since its only common ion, Sc3+, is 3d0.
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