Nomenclature

The coordination compounds' naming is introduced in Topic B5. Some further instances will demonstrate the principles involved.

1. [Ni(H₂O)₆]^2+, hexaaquanickel(II) ion; [Cu(NH₃)₄]²⁺, tetraamminecopper(II) ion. The words aqua and ammine are employed for water and ammonia ligands. Other neutral ligands are considered to through their normal (molecular) name. Occasionally the prefixes bis, tris, ... are employed in which normal create (bi, tri, ...) could cause confusion along with the ligand name; for instance, [Co(H₂O)₃(CH₃NH₂)₃]³⁺, tris(methylamine)triaquacobalt(III) ion.
2. [CoCl₄]^2- tetrachlorocobaltate(II), [Fe(CN)₆]^3- hexacyanoferrate(3-). The normal ending -ide is replaced through -o for anionic ligands. Names of anionic complexes end in -ate, and are now and again relies on Latin rather than English names of the metallic element. Either the total charge on the complex is particular or the oxidation state of the metal atom.
3. [CoCl(NH₃)₅]Cl₂, pentaamminechlorocobalt(III) chloride. Coordinated ligands are displayed in square brackets, other than these are assumed to be separate in the structure. Anionic ligands are generally written before neutral ones in the formula but after them within the name.
4. [(RuCl₅)₂O]^4- (1), μ-oxo-bis(pentachlororuathenate)(4-). The Greek letter μ ('mu') is employed to indicate bridging ligands.