If a central ion has a coordination number of 4 we might expect the geometry of the complex ion to be ________.
A)octahedral
B)cubical
C)trigonal bipyramidal
D)square planar
E)trigonal planar

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A coordination number of 4 suggests that the complex ion has 4 ligands attached to it. The ligands will be arranged in a way that minimizes the repulsion between them. Therefore, the most likely geometry for a coordination number of 4 is square planar.

If a Central Ion Has a Coordination Number of 4