Term: ligand field splitting https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.L03517 Definition: The removal of a degeneracy of atomic or molecular levels in a molecule or ion with a given symmetry, induced by the attachment or removal of ligands to produce reduced symmetries. Related Terms: 1) degeneracy (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.D01556). 2) attachment (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00512). 3) ligands (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.L03518). 4) crystal field splitting (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01429). Source: PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2251 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223) Citation: 'ligand field splitting' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.L03517 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.