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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.
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]
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]
The steric number of a central atom in a molecule is the number of atoms bonded to that central atom, called its coordination number, plus the number of lone pairs of valence electrons on the central atom. [11] In the molecule SF 4, for example, the central sulfur atom has four ligands; the coordination number of sulfur is four. In addition to ...
For example, (η 5 –cyclopentadienyl) 2 Cr (ML 4 X 2) and (η 6 –benzene) 2 Cr (ML 6) both have a LBN of 6 as compared to classical coordination numbers of 10 and 12. [3] Well known complexes such as Ferrocene and Uranocene also serve as examples where LBN and coordination number differ.
For any coordination number above 2 more than one coordination geometry is possible. 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.