Ligand field splitting occurs when ligands approach a central metal ion, causing the degeneracy of the metal’s d-orbitals to be lifted. This results in the splitting of d-orbitals into two sets with different energies: the eg and t2g orbitals in an octahedral field, or the e and t2 orbitals in a tetrahedral field. The difference in energy between these sets is called the crystal field splitting energy (Δ). This splitting is critical in determining the electronic configuration of the metal ion, which in turn affects its catalytic properties.
