Oxidation State Determination

Question

Oxidation state of cobalt in [Co(en)2Cl2]Cl is:

RankGuru · Accepted Answer

1. **Ligand Charges**:
   - ethylenediamine (en) is a neutral bidentate ligand (charge $= 0$).
   - Chlorine ($Cl$) inside the coordination sphere acts as a ligand (charge $= -1$).
   - Chlorine ($Cl$) outside the sphere is a counter-ion (charge $= -1$).
2. **Sum of Charges**: The sum of oxidation states of all atoms in a neutral compound must be zero.
3. **Equation**: $x (	ext{for } Co) + 2 	imes 0 (	ext{for } en) + 2 	imes (-1) (	ext{for } Cl 	ext{ inside}) + 1 	imes (-1) (	ext{for } Cl 	ext{ outside}) = 0$.
4. **Calculation**: $x + 0 - 2 - 1 = 0 \implies x - 3 = 0 \implies x = +3$.
5. **Result**: Cobalt is in the **+3** oxidation state.

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Oxidation State Determination

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