The Foundations of Chemistry

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OUTLINE

25-1 Coordination Compounds

25-2 Ammine Complexes

25-3 Important Terms

25-4 Nomenclature

25-5 Structures

Isomerism in Coordination

Compounds

25-6 Structural (Constitutional)

Isomers

25-7 Stereoisomers

Bonding in Coordination

Compounds

25-8 Crystal Field Theory

25-9 Color and the Spectrochemical

Series

OBJECTIVES

After you have studied this chapter, you should be able to

• Recognize coordination compounds


• Recognize metals that form soluble ammine complexes in aqueous solutions and write
  the formulas for common ammine complexes


• Use the terminology that describes coordination compounds


• Apply the rules for naming coordination compounds


• Recognize common structures of coordination compounds


• Describe various kinds of structural (constitutional) isomerism and distinguish among
  structural isomers


• Recognize stereoisomers


• Describe the crystal field theory of bonding in coordination compounds


• Explain the origin of color in complex species


• Use the spectrochemical series to explain colors of a series of complexes

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oordination compounds are found in many places on the earth’s surface. Every

living system includes many coordination compounds. They are also important

components of everyday products as varied as cleaning materials, medicines, inks,

and paints. A list of important coordination compounds appears to be endless because new

ones are discovered every year.

COORDINATION COMPOUNDS

In Section 10-10 we discussed Lewis acid–base reactions. A basemakes available a share

in an electron pair, and an acidaccepts a share in an electron pair, to form a coordinate

25-1

Red blood cells (1200x). The red
blood cells that transport O 2
throughout our bodies contain
hemoglobin, a coordination
compound.

Covalent bonds in which the shared
electron pair is provided by one atom
are called coordinate covalent bonds.