Which statement about coordination number of a cation is true? — Coordination Compounds Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Step 1: Analyze statement (a): many transition metals exhibit multiple coordination numbers (e.g., Fe can be 4 or 6). Analyze (b): bidentate or polydentate ligands form multiple bonds per ligand, so the coordination number is not always equal to the number of ligands. Step 2: Analyze (c): EAN (rare gas configuration) rule is not followed by many stable complexes. Analyze (d): the coordination number is highly dependent on the steric limits (determined by the relative size of the cation and ligands) and electrostatic attraction (charge of the cation). Step 3: Thus, the statement in (d) is fundamentally true.