21.3 Isomers in Coordination Chemistry

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    isomers 01
    STRUCTURAL ISOMERS
    -have a different bond connectivity
    LINKAGE ISOMERS COORDINATION SPHERE ISOMERS
    -have the same ligand linked through different atoms


    -difference in ions/water molecules that are in/out of the
    coordination sphere (acting as ligands)

    STEREOISOMERS
    -same bond connectivity but different 3D arrangement of atoms
    GEOMETRIC ISOMERS (CIS/TRANS) OPTICAL ISOMERS
    -cis when 2 groups are 90° apart
    -trans when 2 groups are 180° apart
    Possible for three complexes:
    -non-superimposable mirror images (like your hands)

    Possible for three complexes:

    Optical Isomers Vocabulary

    A compound with optical isomers is said to be chiral and the two forms are called enantiomers.
    Chiral compounds are optically active (they rotate plane polarized light).
    A racemic mixture is a 50/50 mixture of both enantiomers and thus isn’t optically active.