
two nitrogen atoms from the second ethylenediamine molecule.two nitrogen atoms from the first ethylenediamine molecule.This means that the central cobalt atom will actually be bonded to a total of six atoms More specifically, these donor atoms are the two nitrogen atoms Now, it's important to realize that ethylenediamine is a bidentate ligand, which means that it uses two donor atoms to bind to the central cobalt atom.

So, take a look at the dibromobis(ethylenediamine) cobalt(III) ion. Remember, single, double, or triple bonds have the same significance here. So my guess is that you're either dealing with #"Cl"#, or with #_2"Cl"_2#, maybe?Īnyway, this doesn't actually matter for finding the coordination number of cobalt.Īs you know, the coordination number of an atom is determined by counting the number of other atoms to which it is bonded. I think you could get cobalt in its #+4# oxidation state by using fluoride anions, since they have a much better chance at being able to stabilize the charge on the cobalt cation.

The charge of the chloride anion is #(1-)#, which means that you would either need two of these complex ions to balance it, or you have cobalt in the #+4# oxidation state, which is not very common at all. First thing first, if you're dealing with the dibromobis(ethylenediamine) cobalt(III) complex ion, #"Co"("en")_2"Br"_2^(+)#, then I'm not sure about the formula you have for the complex ion.
