Working on a practice question for finals so I really want to understand how this works:
What is the coordination number of mercury in K2[HgI4]?
I say that mercury's coordination number is 4 because I^- is a monodentate ligand.
Does the potassium affect the coordination number at all? Thanks for any insight.
You are right. K has no effect on the coordination number; it simply is the other half of the "ionic" bond between K^+ and HgI4^2-
Thanks so much :)
To determine the coordination number of mercury (Hg) in K2[HgI4], we need to consider the ligands surrounding the central mercury atom. In this compound, we have four iodide ions (I^-) as ligands connected to the mercury atom.
The coordination number refers to the total number of ligands directly bonded to the central metal atom. Since there are four iodide ions bound to the mercury atom in K2[HgI4], the coordination number of mercury in this compound is indeed 4.
Regarding the potassium ions (K^+) in K2[HgI4], they do not affect the coordination number of mercury. Potassium ions are not directly bonded to the mercury atom but rather act as counter ions to balance the charges of the compound.
So, in summary, the coordination number of mercury in K2[HgI4] is 4, as there are four iodide ligands directly bonded to the mercury atom. The presence of potassium ions does not affect the coordination number.