Many transition metal solutions are brightly colored. From left
to right, aqueous solutions of: cobalt(II) nitrate; potassium
dichromate; potassium chromate; nickel(II) chloride; copper(II)
sulfate; potassium permanganate. Question: Why Are Transition
Metals Called Transition Metals? Most of the elements on the
Periodic Table are transition metals. These are elements that
have partially filled d sublevel orbitals. Have you ever
wondered why they are called transition metals? What transition
are they undergoing? The term dates back to 1921, when English
chemist Charles Bury referred to a transition series of elements
on the periodic table with an inner layer of electrons that was
in transition between stable groups, going from a stable group
of 8 to one of 18, or from a stable group of 18 to one of 32.
Today these elements are also known as d block elements. The
transition elements all are metals, so they are also known as
transition metals. Transition Metal Properties | List of
Transition Metals