Question

Write IUPAC names of the following compounds :
(i) $\mathrm{[PtCl_2(en)_2]SO_4}$
(ii) $\mathrm{(NH_4)_2[CoF_4]}$

Hint:

Name ligands alphabetically + metal oxidation state; anionic complex → '-ate'.

Answer 1

(i) answer: An ambidentate ligand is a ligand that has two different donor atoms and can attach to the metal through either one of them, but only through one at a time. A good example is the nitrite ion $\mathrm{NO_2^-}$. It can join the metal through its nitrogen atom, where it is called nitro, or through an oxygen atom, where it is called nitrito.

(ii) answer: A double salt is a salt that exists as one single solid crystal, but when you put it in water it breaks up completely into all of its simple ions, so it loses its own identity in solution. A common example is Mohr's salt, $\mathrm{FeSO_4 \cdot (NH_4)_2SO_4 \cdot 6H_2O}$, which in water gives free $\mathrm{Fe^{2+}}$, $\mathrm{NH_4^+}$ and $\mathrm{SO_4^{2-}}$ ions.