Q23.142 CP
Question
You know the following about a coordination compound:
(1) The partial empirical formula is
(2) It has A (red) and B (blue) crystal forms.
(3) When of A or B reacts with of of a red precipitate forms immediately.
(4) After the reaction in (3), of A reacts very slowly with of silver oxalate to form of a white precipitate. (Oxalate can displace other ligands.)
(5) After the reaction in of B does not react further with I.0 mol of
From this information, determine the following:
(a) The coordination number of M
(b) The group(s) bonded to M ionically and covalently
(c) The stereochemistry of the red and blue formulas
Step-by-Step Solution
Verified
(a) The coordination number is 6.
(b) and are attached to the metal covalently
(c) The cis isomer is compound A and another is B.
(a)The given information is that
reacts with to form a precipitate
The reacts with to form a precipitate that is half the molar amount of the reactant given, the charge of the ion reacting with must be known red precipitate of is . Chromate ions have a charge of and are found in the complex, therefore it must be a counter ion in the complex and not connected to the complex itself. Potassium, a cation, is a metal that cannot bind to the metal, so it must also be a counter ion. Therefore, the complex can be:
When compound A reacts with and forms a white precipitate, the precipitate formed can be AgCl, with the oxalate chelating the metal, therefore the chloride ions attached to the metal must be found on the same side in compound A for it to happen.
(a)
The complex ion therefore is . The metal has 6 atoms attached to it, giving a coordination number of 6.
(b)
and are attached to the metal covalently, while and atoms are attached to the metal via coordinate covalent bonds.
(c)
The cis isomer is compound so that the oxalate ion can attach to the metal, and displace the chloride ions to form the white precipitate.