Consider the given reaction (py = pyridine): 3 [ C o 2 ( CO ) 8 ] + 12 p y → 2 [ C o ( p y ) 6 ] [ C o ( CO ) 4 ] 2 + 8 CO • The total number of valence shell electrons on both central metal

Question

Consider the given reaction (py = pyridine):

$3 [C o_{2} (CO)_{8}] + 12 p y \to 2 [C o (p y)_{6}] [C o (CO)_{4}]_{2} + 8 CO$

• The total number of valence shell electrons on both central metals in $C o_{2} (CO)_{8} = P$ .

• The number of moles of metal-carbon linkage in each mole of product complex = $Q$ .

• The difference between the oxidation number of cobalt in the cationic and anionic part of the product complex = $R$ .

Find the sum of $P$ , $Q$ , and $R$ .

TestHub · Accepted Answer

Value of P: The total number of valence electrons in the Co₂(CO)₈ cluster is calculated as $(2 \times 9 f ro m C o) + (8 \times 2 f ro m CO) = 34$ .

Value of Q: Metal-carbon (M-C) bonds are only present in the carbonyl part; since there are two $[C o (CO)_{4}]^{-}$ units per formula unit, $Q = 2 \times 4 = 8$ .

Value of R: The product complex is ionic, composed of $[C o (p y)_{6}]^{2 +}$ (Co = +2) and $[C o (CO)_{4}]^{-}$ (Co = -1), so the difference is $2 - (- 1) = 3$ .

Total Sum: Combining these values gives $P + Q + R = 34 + 8 + 3 = 45$ .

Chemistry - Coordination Chemistry Question with Solution | TestHub

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