Coordination Number Sets Complex Geometry
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A complex's coordination number — donor atoms bonded to the central metal — determines geometry: two gives linear, four tetrahedral or square planar, six octahedral.
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[Ag(NH3)2]+, coordination number two, is linear; [Co(H2O)6]2+, coordination number six, is octahedral.
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Unlike VSEPR, nonbonding d electrons do not distort a complex's shape — coordination number alone predicts donor-atom arrangement.