The correct IUPAC name of [Co(NH3)4(H2O)Cl]Cl2 is:
Coordination Compounds · Class 12 · JEE Main Previous Year Question
The correct IUPAC name of is:
- a
Tetraamminechloridoaquacobalt(III) chloride
- b✓
Tetraammineaquachloridocobalt(III) chloride
- c
Tetraammineaquacobalt(III) chloride
- d
Chloridotetraammineaquacobalt(III) chloride
Tetraammineaquachloridocobalt(III) chloride
🧠 Three Ligands, One Sort
For the three ligand stems are ammine, aqua, chlorido. Two start with 'a', so resolve them by the second letter: ammine (i) vs aqua (u) → ammine wins. Final order: ammine → aqua → chlorido.
🗺️ Wire Up the Name
Ligands & multipliers.
- 4 × ammine → "tetraammine"
- 1 × aqua → "aqua"
- 1 × chlorido → "chlorido"
Oxidation state of Co. . So Co(III).
Counter-ion. Two outer chlorides → "chloride" (no "di" before chloride in modern IUPAC).
Stitch: tetraammineaquachloridocobalt(III) chloride — option (2).
⚡ The Alphabet Filter
Run a strict A–Z scan on ligand stems first. Most JEE distractors put either chlorido before aqua (option 1) or aqua before ammine (option 4). Both fail the alphabet filter immediately.
⚠️ No "Dichloride" or "Trichloride" Outside the Bracket
The post-2005 IUPAC rule omits multipliers on outer counter-ions when their charge is implied by the cation's oxidation state. So "chloride" (not "dichloride") even when there are two outer Cl⁻. Option (3) drops chlorido entirely — wrong because it's an inside-bracket ligand.
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