Question

Identify the one differentiating characteristics between Homoleptic complex and Heteroleptic complex.

Answer 1

The differentiating characteristic between homoleptic complexes and heteroleptic complexes lies in the nature of the ligands involved.

Homoleptic Complex: In a homoleptic complex, all the ligands attached to the central metal ion are of the same type. For example, in [Ni(CO)4], all the ligands are carbon monoxide (CO) molecules.

Heteroleptic Complex: In a heteroleptic complex, different types of ligands are attached to the central metal ion. The ligands may vary in their chemical composition or coordination number. For example, in [Ni(CO)2(en)2], the complex contains a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and ethylenediamine (en) ligands.

Therefore, the distinguishing characteristic between homoleptic and heteroleptic complexes is that homoleptic complexes have ligands of the same type, while heteroleptic complexes have different types of ligands.