Tanabe-Sugano Diagram

• The Tanabe-Sugano diagram is a plot of orbital energy as a function of the Racah parameter
B vs Δo/B.
• Yukito Tanabe and satoru sugano- On the Absorption spectra of "complex ions"-1954.
• Explain the absorption spectra of octahedral complex ions.
• used in coordination chemistry to predict absorptions in the UV, visible and IR
electromagnetic spectrum of coordination compounds.
• can be used for both high spin and low spin complexes.
• Ground state is taken as constant reference and energies of all other terms are plotted with
respect to ground state.
• In d1 & d9 systems, only one single electron does undergoes transition from T2g to Eg and
vice versa. So there is no electron repulsion and it takes minimum amount of energy.
• In d10 system, there are no d-d electron transitions in d10 metal complexes because the d
orbitals are completely filled. Thus, UV-vis absorption bands are not observed and a
Tanabe–Sugano diagram does not exist.
For example, we take
[V(H2O)]3+ UV spectrum……

Here, V1 = 17794 cm-1, V2 = 25707 cm-1.

Step 1 : Find energy ratio
V2/V1 = 25707/17794 = 1.44

Step 2 : Find o/B by using Sugano diagram

 So o/B = 31

V2/V1 = 1.44

31

Step 3 : Determine the Racah parameter(B) using TS diagram

For V2, E/B = 41
V2/B = 41
25707/B = 41
B = 627cm-1
For V1, E/B = 29
V1/B = 29
17794/B = 29
B = 613cm-1

Bavg = 620 cm-1

3
1

Step 4 : Determine o
o /B = 31
o/620 = 31
o = 19229 cm-1
So o = 19229 cm-1 or 2.38eV or 520nm
10Dq = o
10Dq = 2.38
Dq = 0.238 eV
 So o = 520nm

For [V(H2O)6]3+
H2O ligand is weak field ligand and have hign spin. So the absorption range is increased from
520nm to 562nm.

Nephelauxetic ratio
For example, [V(H2O)]3+ complex Racah parameter values are B1 = 613cm-1 and B2 = 627cm-1 …
So the Nephalauxetic ratio is …
B1/B2 = 613/627 = 0.978
Hence, inner electronic repulsion has been decreased during the process of complexation.
So the weak field ligand require energy to split the d orbital for electron transfer from the ligand to
metal.

Advantages
• Tanabe-Sugano diagrams can be used for both high spin and low spin complexes, unlike
Orgel diagrams which apply only to high spin complexes.
• In a Tanabe-Sugano diagram, the ground state is used as a constant reference, in contrast
to Orgel diagrams.
• However, if the ligand field splitting energy, 10Dq, is greater than the electron-repulsion
energy, then Orgel diagrams fail in determining electron placement whereas Tanabe-Sugano
diagrams can be applied to situations when 10Dq is significantly greater than electron
repulsion.
Applications
• Shows the energy splitting of the spectral terms with the increase of the ligand field
strength.
• It is even easier to predict the possible transitions and their relative intensity.
• Used to predict the position of electronic transition.
• Tanabe-Sugano diagrams are very useful tools for analyzing UV-vis spectra:
➢ they are used to assign bands.
➢ calculate Dq values for ligand field splitting.