In a tetrahedral complex, which orbitals are higher in energy?

In a tetrahedral complex, the energy levels of the orbitals are influenced by the arrangement of ligands around the central metal ion. In this geometry, the d orbitals split into two sets: the t2 set and the e set. Specifically, the t2 orbitals (which consist of the dxy, dyz, and dzx orbitals) are lower in energy compared to the e orbitals (which comprise the dz2 and dx2-y2 orbitals).

The reason for this energy difference is primarily due to the geometric arrangement of the ligands in a tetrahedral complex. The ligands are positioned at the corners of a tetrahedron, resulting in less direct overlap with the d orbitals compared to octahedral complexes, where ligands are more directly aligned with certain d orbitals. Consequently, the e orbitals experience more repulsion from the ligand fields and are raised in energy relative to the t2 orbitals.

This results in the t2 orbitals being the lower energy set, while the e orbitals, being higher in energy, are less stabilized by the ligand interactions in tetrahedral coordination. Thus, identifying that the t2 orbitals are of lower energy while the e orbitals are of higher energy aligns