When do we use the prefixes bis, tris, tetrakis, etc?

[EmilyJoo_1G]

Why do we use the prefix di- and tri- for some ligands and bis- and tris- for others?

[Abhi Vempati 2H]

When a ligand is polydentate and you have more than one of these ligands, you use bis-, tris-, etc. This is done because some polydentate ligands already have the prefixes di-, tri-, etc. in them (ex: diethylenetriamine). By using bis-, tris-, and the alternate prefixes, you can clearly show how many polydentate ligands there are and avoid confusion (ex: trisdiethylenetriamine = three diethylenetriamines). Hope this helps!

[KeyaV1C]

When a ligand has a prefix (di-, tri-, tetra-) you need to use bis- and tris. Ex. [Pt(H2NCH2CH2NH2)2Cl2]Cl2 -> dichlorobis(ethylenediamine)platinum(IV) chloride

[TheresaDsilva4A]

di- and tri- are used when there are more than one of the same ligand attached to the central metal ion. bis-, tris- and tetrakis- are used to signify the presence of more than one polydentate ligand. For instance, if you have two oxalato ligands in a coordination compound, it would be written as -bisoxalato (oxalate is bidentate). It would be incorrect to write- dioxalato because this does not account for oxalate's polydentate nature. Hope this helps!

[rachel liu 3k]

When a ligand has a prefix (di-, tri-, tetra-) you need to use bis- and tris. Ex. [Pt(H2NCH2CH2NH2)2Cl2]Cl2 -> dichlorobis(ethylenediamine)platinum(IV) chloride

Do you know if for diethylenetriamine, would (nh2ch2ch2nhch2ch2nh2)2 be bisdiethylenetriamine? it sounds kinda funky.