Geometry

[Chaleah Duran]

What is the relationship between a coordination number and the geometry of the molecule.

[Rachel Bartley 2B]

The coordination number of a compound gives the number of bound atoms, which can assist in naming the molecular geometry. If a compound's coordination number is 4, then you know that there are 4 atoms bound to a central atom, giving the molecular shape of AX4 (tetrahedral).

[AudreyQian1J]

Hello,
Coordination numbers are binding sites of ligands directly to the transition metal cation. The number of bounded ligands to the central atom can be counted to determine "molecular shape" pertaining to the central atom. For example, in [Fe(CN)6], iron binds with 6 CN- bonds, making it a coordination number of 6 and an octahedral. The central atoms usually never bind to more than six ligands, so if four ligands are bounded to a transition metal, then the geometry could be square planar or tetrahedral.

[005801694]

The coordination number refers to the number of coordinate covalent bonds directly attached to the central metal atom and is not referring to the number of ligands.

[Heba Bounar 3K]

Hi!

Coordination number refers to the number of bonds connected to the transition metal. The molecular shape can therefore be determined by counting the number of ligands bound to the metal. Typically, you should just know that if the coordination number is 4, the shape is either square planar or tetrahedral, and if the coordination number is 6, the shape is octahedral.

Hope that helps!

[Iman Gauhar 3E]

Hi! The coordination number is the number of ligands attached to the central atom in a coordination compound. For example, the coordination number of [Cr(NH3)2Cl2Br2] is 6 because the central molecule is bonded to 2 NH3 molecules, 2 Cl molecules, and 2 Br molecules. Therefore, the coordination number is 6. Since the coordination number is 6, you know that there are 6 ligands bound to the central atom, so the shape of the molecular is octahedral.