Which complex is likely to show optical activitya)Trans-[CoCl2(NH3)4]+...
Cis [Co(NH
3)
2(en)
2]
3+
No POS optically active rest compound has POS.
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Which complex is likely to show optical activitya)Trans-[CoCl2(NH3)4]+...
Understanding Optical Activity in Coordination Compounds
Optical activity refers to the ability of a compound to rotate plane-polarized light, which usually occurs in chiral molecules. In coordination chemistry, the geometry and arrangement of ligands around a central metal ion are crucial in determining chirality.
Analyzing the Given Complexes
- Trans-[CoCl2(NH3)4]+
- This complex has a symmetrical arrangement, which lacks chirality. Therefore, it does not show optical activity.
- [Cr(H2O)6]3+
- This octahedral complex is also symmetrical with identical ligands (water), leading to no optical activity.
- Cis-[Co(NH3)2(en)2]3+
- Here, "en" refers to ethylenediamine, a bidentate ligand. The cis arrangement allows for a non-superimposable mirror image, making this complex chiral. Thus, it exhibits optical activity.
- Trans-[Co(NH3)2(en)2]3+
- Similar to the previous complex, but in the trans configuration, it is symmetric and does not possess chirality, resulting in no optical activity.
Conclusion
The only complex that displays optical activity is Cis-[Co(NH3)2(en)2]3+ due to its chiral nature resulting from the arrangement of ligands, which creates non-superimposable mirror images.