[kataklysmic]

does anyone know what causes the trend in melting points in the transition metals (period three only)? for some reason manganese has a lower melting point then all the rest, and vanadium has a quite high one. i have no idea what to write as the explaination for this... please help me!

[Transcendental]

Has to do with bonding energy. What have you learned about bonding energies?

[kataklysmic]

hmm... i'm not sure. i don't think i've learned much in that area. i know that the transition metals have many oxidation states, and that manganese (which has a low melting point compared to the others) will lose the most electrons. i was thinking this may have something to do with explaining the pattern, but i'm really not sure.

[Transcendental]

Hold on, are you doing period 3 or period 4? If it's for period 3, then what you just thought of is in the right direction. The number of electron each metal atom donates to the "sea" of electrons will affect bonding strength.

I'm not sure about any simple explanation for period 4 though (manganese and vanadium are not in period 3)... the only one I know of sort of involves harmonic oscillators, etc... you're not learning quantum mechanics are you?

[kataklysmic]

   i always thought managnese were in period three... but maybe i'm mixed up. i know that their valence electrons are in the 4s orbial, but they also have electron in the 3d orbital which i'm guessing are the electrons that affect the melting point. i always thought of them in period three, since the d orbital doesn't start until the third energy level. anyway, the trasition metals from scandium to zinc are the ones i'm talking about regardless of the period.
   and to answer your other question, we've covered some quantum mechanics. but i've never heard the term harmonic oscillators before, so i'm clearly not very advanced in the area. so if anyone could provide me with an explaination that i'll be able to understand at my level (probably something to do with the concept of oxidation states and electron orbitals, or basic bonding concepts like ligands and such) it would help me out a lot.