NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Chemistry Chapter 5 Coordination Compounds

Coordination compounds are compounds in which a central metal atom or ion is linked to a number of ions or neutral molecules by coordinate bonds or which contain complex ions.
Examples: K₄[Fe(CN)₆]; [ Cu(NH₃)₄]SO₄; Ni(CO)₄.

Werner in 1898, propounded his theory of coordination compounds. The main postulates are:

1. In coordination compounds metals show two types of linkages (valences)-primary and secondary.
2. The primary valences are normally ionisable and are satisfied by negative ions.
3. The secondary valences are non ionisable. These are satisfied by neutral molecules or negative ions. The secondary valence is equal to the coordination number and is fixed for a metal.
4. The ions/groups bound by the secondary linkages to the metal have characteristic spatial arrangements corresponding to different coordination numbers.

In modern formulations, such spatial arrangements are called coordination polyhedra. The species within the square bracket are coordination entities or complexes and the ions outside the square bracket are called counter ions.

Both double salts as well as complexes are formed by the combination of two or more stable compounds in stoichiometric ratio. However, they differ in the fact that double salts such as carnallite, KCl.MgCl₂.6H₂O, Mohr’s salt, FeSO₄.(NH₄)2SO₄.6H₂O, potash alum, KAl(SO₄)₂.12H₂O, etc. dissociate into simple ions completely when dissolved in water. However, complex ions such as [Fe(CN)6]₄⁻ of K₄[Fe(CN)6] do not dissociate into Fe²⁺ and CN⁻ ions.

Nomenclature is important in Coordination Chemistry because of the need to have an unambiguous method of describing formulas and writing systematic names, particularly when dealing with isomers. The formulas and names adopted for coordination entities are based on the recommendations of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Many approaches have been put forth to explain the nature of bonding in coordination compounds viz. Valence Bond Theory (VBT), Crystal Field Theory (CFT), Ligand Field Theory (LFT) and Molecular Orbital Theory (MOT). According to this theory, the metal atom or ion under the influence of ligands can use its (n-1)d, ns, np or ns, np, nd orbitals for hybridization to yield a set of equivalent orbitals of definite geometry such as octahedral, tetrahedral, square planar and so on. These hybridised orbitals are allowed to overlap with ligand orbitals that can donate electron pairs for bonding.

Importance and Applications of Coordination Compounds
The coordination compounds are of great importance. These compounds are widely present in the mineral, plant and animal worlds and are known to play many important functions in the area of analytical chemistry, metallurgy, biological systems, industry and medicine.