Water in Coordination Compounds

[TheresaDsilva4A]

When I was looking through the solution manual, I noticed that water was often written as OH2 instead of H2O in the formulas of coordination compounds. Can someone explain why this is the case? Will we be penalized on an exam if we write it one way as opposed to the other? Thank you so much!

[Trinity Vu 1D]

Its written as OH2 because depending on the location of the molecule when it is acting as a ligand, the position of the water molecule changes. When a water molecule is a ligand on the right side of the central transition metal atom, the O is what bonds to the central atom, not the H2. Therefore, when drawing lewis structures, the O is written before the H2. ie [SnCl4(OH2)2]

[Norman Dis4C]

The atom that is linked to the metal atom is often written first to emphasize the bonding sites. You could also underline the bonding atom to indicate.

[cassidysong 1K]

Its just to emphasize that it's the oxygen bonding to the compound.

[Jordan Ziegler 2J]

When writing the formula for the coordination compound (as opposed to simply stating what the ligand is or drawing the lewis structure), should water be written as H2O or OH2?

[saigorijavolu2k]

Usually in coordination compounds, the H20 becomes OH2. Since this is what bonds to the transition metal. I am not sure if we will be penalized for this.

[emaad_3H]

It's just so you know that the oxygen is what is bonded and not the hydrogen.

[Abraham De Luna]

It is to emphasize that the oxygen is what is bonded and not the hydrogen.