Question

How to calculate the maximum number of isomers in coordination chemistry?

Answer 1

Isomerism

• Isomerism is the phenomenon in which more than one compounds have the same chemical formula but different chemical structures.
• Chemical compounds that have identical chemical formulae but differ in properties and the arrangement of atoms in the molecule are called isomers. Therefore, the compounds that exhibit isomerism are known as isomers.
• In coordination compound the isomers complex anionic and complex cationic parts and can be interchanged with some ligands from the cation to the anion.

Geometrical isomers

• Geometrical isomers are two or more compounds which differ from each other in the arrangement of groups with respect to a double bond, ring, or other rigid structure.
• Cis and trans isomers are geometrical isomers.

Optical isomers

• Optical isomers are compounds which contain same numbers of atoms, bonds and different spatial arrangements of the atom, which have non superimposable mirror image.
• Optically active compounds rotate plane polarized light in a particular direction.

Calculation of maximum number of isomers in coordination compound

• The formula for finding the maximum number of stereoisomers x is

$\mathrm{x}=\mathrm{number}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{optical}\mathrm{isomers}+\frac{1}{2}\times \mathrm{number}\mathrm{of}\mathrm{geometrical}\mathrm{isomers}$

To find the maximum number of isomerism in coordination compound we need to draw structures.