When metals are coordinated to ligands to form a complex, its "d" orbital splits into high and low energy groups of suborbitals. Depending on the nature of the ligands, the energy difference separating these groups can be large or small. In the first case, electrons of the d orbital tend to pair in the low energy suborbitals, a configuration known as "low spin". If the energy difference is low, electrons tend to distribute unpaired, giving rise to a "high spin" configuration. High spin is associated with paramagnetism (the property of being attracted to magnetic fields), while low spin is associated to diamagnetism (inert or repelled by magnets).