Cis vs trans

[JasonNovik3A]

Logands can be either cis or trans .. what’s the difference between these? How can I tell?

[Jonathan Tangonan 1E]

cis- and trans- are used to indicate the placements of ligands when there are multiple of them. When cis- is used the similar substances will be arranged on the same side while with trans- this indicates that they will be arranged on opposite sides.

[Nishma Chakraborty 1J]

Also I think another difference is that -cis molecules are polar, while -trans molecules are non-polar

[Michelle Lu 1F]

Cis- vs. trans- are prefixes that indicate the position of ligands. Cis- occurs when both ligands are on the same side and therefore cause the molecule to be polar. Trans- is when ligands are on opposite sides and cancel each other's charges out, leaving the molecule as nonpolar.