IChO 1982 · Theory problem 4

Coordination compounds of chromium(III): glycinato complex isomers and a chromium chloride hydrate

A transition metal atom or ion may be directly bonded to a number of atoms or molecules that surround it (ligands), forming a characteristic pattern. This is the essential structural feature of an important class of so-called coordination or complex compounds. If two or more atoms from one individual ligand form bonds to the same central atom then the ligand is said to form a chelate (Greek chele = crab' claw).

The glycinate ion, \(\ce{NH2-CH2-COO^-}\), is a bidentate chelate ligand which can form, for instance, tris-glycinato-chromium(III) complexes. The figure shows one possible structure of such a complex. Oxygen and nitrogen are forced to coordinate to adjacent octahedral positions, as the \(\ce{N-C-C-O}\) chain is too short to "embrace" the chromium ion.

Figure 1

4.1 How many different configurational isomers of the complex are possible, not counting optical isomers?

4.2 Which of these isomers can be further resolved into optical isomers?

Another coordination compound of chromium was analyzed and found to have the following mass composition: 19.5 % \(\ce{Cr}\), 40.0 % \(\ce{Cl}\), 4.5 % \(\ce{H}\), and 36.0 % \(\ce{O}\). A 0.533 g sample of the compound was dissolved in \(100\ \mathrm{cm^3}\) of water, and \(10\ \mathrm{cm^3}\) of nitric acid \((2\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}})\) was added. Excess of silver nitrate solution was then added and the precipitate formed was then filtered, washed, dried and weighed. Its mass was found to be 0.287 g.

When a 1.06 g sample was gently heated to \(100\ ^\circ\mathrm{C}\) in a stream of dry air, 0.144 of water was driven off.

The freezing point of a solution prepared from 1.33 g of the compound and \(100\ \mathrm{cm^3}\) of water, was found to be \(-0.18\ ^\circ\mathrm{C}\). (Molar freezing point depression of water is \(1.82\ \mathrm{K\,kg\,mol^{-1}}\)).

Use all the experimental information to solve the following problems:

4.3 Derive the empirical formula of the compound.

4.4 Deduce formula for the compound showing the ligands of the chromium ion. Give molar ratios to support your result.

4.5 Sketch all possible steric arrangements of the ligands about the chromium ion.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 4.1: Two geometrical isomers: fac and mer tris(glycinato)chromium(III).
  • 4.2: Both have an enantiomeric pair, conventionally designated \(\Delta\) and \(\Lambda\). Thus there are four configurational stereoisomers altogether.
  • 4.3: \(\boxed{\ce{CrCl3H12O6}}\), conventionally written \(\boxed{\ce{CrCl3.6H2O}}\), chromium(III) chloride hexahydrate.
  • 4.4: \(\boxed{\ce{[CrCl2(H2O)4]Cl.2H2O}}\), tetraaquadichloridochromium(III) chloride dihydrate. Per chromium there are two coordinated chloride ions, four coordinated waters, one chloride counterion, and two waters of crystallization.
  • 4.5: cis and trans arrangements of \(\ce{[CrCl2(H2O)4]+}\); both are achiral.

Names, structural SMILES, and precise descriptions of the arrangements follow.

Solution

The coordination structures below use extended SMILES, with dative-bond arrows pointing toward the metal and @OH tags specifying octahedral stereochemistry. These specify connectivity and configuration, but do not fix chelate-ring conformations or crystal packing.

4.1 — Geometrical isomers of the glycinato complex

Glycinate, or 2-aminoacetate, \(\ce{NH2CH2COO^-}\), has SMILES NCC(=O)[O-]. Each ligand binds the chromium(III) ion, \(\ce{Cr^3+}\), SMILES [Cr+3], through its nitrogen and one carboxylate oxygen at adjacent octahedral positions.

The three nitrogen donors can occupy only two distinct types of arrangement:

Isomer Arrangement of the nitrogen donors Trans donor pairs
fac-tris(glycinato)chromium(III) All three occupy one triangular face; every nitrogen pair is cis. Three nitrogen–oxygen pairs
mer-tris(glycinato)chromium(III) Two are opposite; the three lie in a plane through chromium. One nitrogen–nitrogen, one oxygen–oxygen, and one nitrogen–oxygen pair

Three nitrogen donors can contain either zero or one trans pair. Accounting for the connections within each chelate gives no further geometrical class when mirror images are counted together.

Therefore, the answer is two.

4.2 — Optical isomerism

In both geometrical isomers, the three chelate rings form a handed arrangement around chromium. Reflection reverses this handedness, and no rotation superimposes the resulting structures while preserving the three nitrogen–oxygen chelate connections.

Thus both fac and mer forms occur as \(\Delta/\Lambda\) enantiomeric pairs. The mer donor positions alone must not be used to judge chirality: which nitrogen is connected to which oxygen also matters.

The following SMILES give both members of each pair; “first” and “mirror” do not assign an absolute \(\Delta/\Lambda\) label.

Tris(glycinato)chromium(III) configuration Extended stereochemical SMILES
fac, first enantiomer [Cr@OH15+3]123(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->1)(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->2)<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->3
fac, mirror image [Cr@OH5+3]123(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->1)(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->2)<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->3
mer, first enantiomer [Cr@OH8+3]123(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->1)(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->2)<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->3
mer, mirror image [Cr@OH10+3]123(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->1)(<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->2)<-[NH2]CC(=O)[O-]->3

There are therefore \(2\times2=\boxed{4}\) configurational stereoisomers, excluding differences in ring conformation.

4.3 — Empirical formula

Use the rounded atomic molar masses \(52.0,\ 35.5,\ 1.0,\ 16.0,\ 108.0\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\) for \(\ce{Cr}\), \(\ce{Cl}\), \(\ce{H}\), \(\ce{O}\), and \(\ce{Ag}\), respectively.

For a \(100\ \mathrm{g}\) sample:

Element Amount / mol Ratio relative to chromium
\(\ce{Cr}\) \(19.5/52.0=0.375\) \(1\)
\(\ce{Cl}\) \(40.0/35.5=1.127\) \(3.00\)
\(\ce{H}\) \(4.5/1.0=4.5\) \(12\)
\(\ce{O}\) \(36.0/16.0=2.25\) \(6.00\)

Hence the empirical formula is

\[ \boxed{\ce{CrCl3H12O6}}. \]

The hydrogen and oxygen correspond to six molecules of water, \(\ce{H2O}\), SMILES O, per chromium:

\[ \boxed{\ce{CrCl3.6H2O}}. \]

This composition alone does not distinguish coordinated water from water of crystallization. Its formula molar mass is

\[ M=52.0+3(35.5)+6(18.0) =\boxed{266.5\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}}. \]

4.4 — Coordination formula

Chloride precipitation. The precipitate is silver(I) chloride, \(\ce{AgCl}\), with ionic formula-unit SMILES [Ag+].[Cl-]. Silver(I) ions, [Ag+], precipitate free chloride ions, [Cl-]:

\[ \ce{Ag+(aq) + Cl-(aq) -> AgCl(s)}. \]

The amount precipitated is

\[ n(\ce{AgCl}) =\frac{0.287\ \mathrm{g}}{143.5\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =2.00\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

The sample contains

\[ n(\text{formula units}) =\frac{0.533\ \mathrm{g}}{266.5\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =2.00\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

Consequently,

\[ \frac{n(\text{precipitable chloride})}{n(\ce{Cr})}=1.00. \]

Under the intended precipitation conditions, this measures chloride outside the coordination sphere. Therefore, one of the three chlorides is a counterion, and two are coordinated.

Water lost on heating. Interpreting the printed “0.144” as \(0.144\ \mathrm{g}\),

\[ n(\text{water lost}) =\frac{0.144\ \mathrm{g}}{18.0\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =8.00\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}, \]

whereas

\[ n(\text{formula units}) =\frac{1.06\ \mathrm{g}}{266.5\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =3.98\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

Thus

\[ \frac{n(\text{water lost})}{n(\ce{Cr})} =2.01\simeq2. \]

Gentle heating therefore removes two waters of crystallization per chromium. Of the six waters in total, four remain as aqua ligands.

The resulting octahedral coordination sphere contains four aqua ligands and two chlorido ligands. Its charge is

\[ +3+2(-1)+4(0)=+1. \]

The compound is therefore tetraaquadichloridochromium(III) chloride dihydrate:

\[ \boxed{\ce{[CrCl2(H2O)4]Cl.2H2O}}. \]

Its extended SMILES, leaving cis/trans geometry unspecified, is:

[Cr+3](<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[Cl-])<-[Cl-].[Cl-].O.O

The corresponding loss of lattice water is

\[ \ce{[CrCl2(H2O)4]Cl.2H2O(s) ->[\text{100 °C, dry air}] [CrCl2(H2O)4]Cl(s) + 2H2O(g)}. \]

Freezing-point confirmation. Taking \(100\ \mathrm{cm^3}\) of water as \(0.100\ \mathrm{kg}\), the analytical molality is

\[ m =\frac{1.33/266.5\ \mathrm{mol}}{0.100\ \mathrm{kg}} =4.99\times10^{-2}\ \mathrm{mol\,kg^{-1}}. \]

Using \(\Delta T_f=iK_fm\),

\[ i =\frac{0.18\ \mathrm{K}} {(1.82\ \mathrm{K\,kg\,mol^{-1}}) (4.99\times10^{-2}\ \mathrm{mol\,kg^{-1}})} =1.98\simeq2. \]

Thus each formula unit produces approximately two dissolved solute particles, consistent with

\[ \ce{[CrCl2(H2O)4]Cl.2H2O(s) -> [CrCl2(H2O)4]+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + 2H2O(l)}. \]

These particles are the tetraaquadichloridochromium(III) cation and the chloride counterion. The lattice water joins the solvent.

All three experimental ratios agree:

\[ \boxed{ \frac{n(\text{free chloride})}{n(\ce{Cr})}=1.00,\qquad \frac{n(\text{lattice water})}{n(\ce{Cr})}=2.01,\qquad \frac{n(\text{solute particles})}{n(\ce{Cr})}=1.98 }. \]

4.5 — All ligand arrangements

For an octahedral complex with four identical aqua ligands and two identical chlorido ligands, the chlorido ligands can be either adjacent or opposite.

To describe the required sketches precisely, place chromium at the origin and the six donor atoms along \(+x,-x,+y,-y,+z,-z\).

Cation Precise spatial arrangement Extended stereochemical SMILES
cis-tetraaquadichloridochromium(III) Chlorido ligands at \(+y\) and \(+z\), making a \(90^\circ\) angle. Aqua ligands occupy \(+x,-x,-y,-z\). [Cr@OH25+3](<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[Cl-])<-[Cl-]
trans-tetraaquadichloridochromium(III) Chlorido ligands at \(+z\) and \(-z\), making a \(180^\circ\) angle. Aqua ligands occupy \(+x,-x,+y,-y\). [Cr@OH27+3](<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[Cl-])<-[Cl-]

Both arrangements possess mirror symmetry and are achiral. The analytical data do not distinguish which of these two geometrical isomers was present.

The solution was checked against the official solution.