In the cobalt-carbonyl complex [Co₂(CO)₈], number of Co–Co bonds is "X" and terminal CO ligands is "Y". X + Y =

Question

Canvas Classes · Accepted Answer

Strategy:
 Recall the exact molecular structure of dicobalt octacarbonyl and accurately count the structural features requested.

Step 1: Dissect the structure of 
The stable crystalline isomer contains:
- 1 single  metal bond.
- 2 bridging carbonyl ligands (-CO).
- 6 terminal carbonyl ligands (3 on each Cobalt atom).

Step 2: Assign variables
X = number of  bonds = 1.
Y = number of terminal  ligands = 6.

Step 3: Calculate sum
.

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