Coordination Numbers

[haley f]

What does the coordination number refer to? Is it the charge on the coordination compound?

[Mahnoor_Wani_1I]

Coordination numbers are the numbers of bonds ligands forms with the transitional metal. Basically, they are the number of ligands bonded to TM. If you are still confused I think you should rewatch the Monday lecture (specifically the coordination compound part), Dr. Lavelle goes into dept about coordination numbers and how to find it.

[Joseph Hsing 2C]

The coordination number of a central atom refers to the number of atoms, ions, or molecules bonded to it, while the steric number is the number of bonds and lone pairs.

[Victoria Dao 3G]

It's just the number of bonds that ions, atoms, or molecules form with the central atom!

[Anh Trinh 1J]

A coordination number is the number of points at which ligands are attached to the central metal atom. For example, an octahedral complex has a coordination number of 6 because it has 6 ligands arranged at the corners of the center atom or ion.

[Lorena_Morales_1K]

Coordination numbers are the numbers of bonds ligands forms with the transitional metal. Basically, they are the number of ligands bonded to TM. If you are still confused I think you should rewatch the Monday lecture (specifically the coordination compound part), Dr. Lavelle goes into dept about coordination numbers and how to find it.

thank you so much for this explanation! it was really helpful

[Silvi_Lybbert_3A]

Coordination numbers are the number of bonds to the central transition metal. It is not necessarily the number of ligands bonded to the TM because certain ligands can be polydentate. For example, in the example [Pt(en)Cl2], the coordination number is 4 even though there are only 3 ligands. (en) stands for ethylenediamine which is a bidentate ligand so it donates 2 pairs of electrons to the central TM, Pt, therefore forming two bonds. The two chloride atoms form two more bonds, one each, and so the total number of bonds and coordination number is 4. This would form either a tetrahedral or square planar shape.

[Brandon Gruender 3F]

Hi!
Coordination number refers to the number of ligand atoms bonding to the central transition metal. For example, if the compound is ZnCl4 there are 4 chlorine atoms bound to the central atom, Zinc. If you have brackets (e.g K4[Fe(Cn)6]-) you would only count the atoms on the inside. So in this case the coordination number is 6 as 6 Cn atoms surround the one Fe atom.

[RitaThomas_3G]

Adding onto what everyone else has previously said, it refers to the number of ligands bound to the central atom. If you had a molecule with brackets, you wouldn't consider what is outside of it because it is beyond the coordination sphere.

For example, Ba[FeBr4]2, the coordination number would be 4, because you are only looking at [FeBr4].