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In chemistry, crystallography, and materials science, the coordination number, also called ligancy, of a central atom in a molecule or crystal is the number of atoms, molecules or ions bonded to it. The ion/molecule/atom surrounding the central ion/molecule/atom is called a ligand .
The coordination geometry depends on the number, not the type, of ligands bonded to the metal centre as well as their locations. The number of atoms bonded is the coordination number. The geometrical pattern can be described as a polyhedron where the vertices of the polyhedron are the centres of the coordinating atoms in the ligands. [1]
For typical ionic solids, the cations are smaller than the anions, and each cation is surrounded by coordinated anions which form a polyhedron.The sum of the ionic radii determines the cation-anion distance, while the cation-anion radius ratio + / (or /) determines the coordination number (C.N.) of the cation, as well as the shape of the coordinated polyhedron of anions.
The polyhedral symbol is sometimes used in coordination chemistry to indicate the approximate geometry of the coordinating atoms around the central atom. One or more italicised letters indicate the geometry, e.g. TP-3 which is followed by a number that gives the coordination number of the central atom. [1]
This diagram is for octahedral interstices (coordination number six): 4 anions in the plane shown, 1 above the plane and 1 below. The stability limit is at r C /r A = 0.414. The radius ratio rule defines a critical radius ratio for different crystal structures, based on their coordination geometry. [1]
For example, NO 2 − is a strong-field ligand and produces a large Δ. The octahedral ion [Fe(NO 2 ) 6 ] 3− , which has 5 d -electrons, would have the octahedral splitting diagram shown at right with all five electrons in the t 2 g level.
For example four coordinate coordination compounds can be tetrahedral, square planar, square pyramidal or see-saw shaped. The polyhedral symbol is used to describe the geometry. A configuration index is determined from the positions of the ligands and together with the polyhedral symbol is placed at the beginning of the name.
Structure of xenon oxytetrafluoride, an example of a molecule with the square pyramidal coordination geometry. Square pyramidal geometry describes the shape of certain chemical compounds with the formula ML 5 where L is a ligand. If the ligand atoms were connected, the resulting shape would be that of a pyramid with a square base.