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Q.Explain the terms :

(a) Ligand
(b) Co-ordination number
(c) Co-ordination entity
(d) Central metal atom/ion
Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2020Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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These four terms describe the basic structural vocabulary of coordination compounds: the central metal, the groups bonded to it (ligands), how many bonds it forms (coordination number), and the whole bonded unit (coordination entity).

  1. Ligand: A ligand is an ion or molecule bound to the central metal atom/ion in a coordination entity, which donates a pair (or pairs) of electrons to the central metal atom/ion to form a coordinate (dative) bond. Ligands must have at least one donor atom with a lone pair of electrons. Examples: Cl−Cl^-, NH3NH_3, H2OH_2O, CN−CN^-, enen (ethylenediamine, a bidentate ligand), EDTA (a hexadentate ligand).
  2. Coordination number: The coordination number (CN) of the central atom/ion in a coordination entity is defined as the number of ligand donor atoms to which the central atom/ion is directly bonded. For example, in [Co(NH3)6]3+[Co(NH_3)_6]^{3+}, the coordination number of Co is 6 (bonded to 6 NH₃ donor atoms); in [PtCl4]2−[PtCl_4]^{2-}, the coordination number of Pt is 4.
  3. Coordination entity: A coordination entity (or complex) is a central metal atom or ion bonded to a fixed number of ions or molecules (ligands) by coordinate bonds. For example, [Co(NH3)6]3+[Co(NH_3)_6]^{3+}, [CoCl3(NH3)3][CoCl_3(NH_3)_3], [Ni(CO)4][Ni(CO)_4] are all coordination entities — they consist of the central metal atom surrounded by its ligands, written within square brackets. …

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