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Example · Example 14

Q.Write the IUPAC name of K4[Fe(CN)6]\text{K}_4[\text{Fe}(\text{CN})_6].

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K4[Fe(CN)6]\text{K}_4[\text{Fe(CN)}_6] consists of the simple cation K+\text{K}^+ (four of them) and the complex anion [Fe(CN)6]4−[\text{Fe(CN)}_6]^{4-}. The cation is named first: potassium. Within the complex anion, the six identical CN−\text{CN}^- ligands are named with the multiplying prefix hexa- and the anionic-ligand ending -o: hexacyano. To find iron's oxidation state, note that six CN−\text{CN}^- ligands contribute 6×(−1)=−66\times(-1) = -6 to the complex's total charge of −4-4, so iron must contribute +2+2: x+(−6)=−4⇒x=+2x + (-6) = -4 \Rightarrow x = +2. Because the overall coordination entity is an anion, the metal's name takes the '-ate' ending, and because iron uses its Latin-derived name for this purpose, 'ferrate' rather than 'nic …

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