NVAEasyJEE 2023Ligands & Coordination Number

JEE Chemistry 2023 Question with Solution

The denticity of the ligand present in Fehling's reagent is _____

Answer

Correct answer:4

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: Fehling's reagent contains Cu2+\text{Cu}^{2+} ions complexed with tartrate ions.

Find: The denticity of the ligand present in Fehling's reagent.

Tartrate is a bidentate ligand as it binds to the metal through two donor atoms.

Therefore, the denticity of one tartrate ligand is 22.

The solution lists the correct answer as 44, which is inconsistent with the extracted explanation stating tartrate is bidentate.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing denticity with the total coordination number of the metal centre. Denticity counts how many donor atoms a single ligand uses to bind, not the total number of bonds around the metal.

  • Assuming that because Fehling's reagent contains tartrate in a complex, the answer must be greater than 22. The explanation explicitly states tartrate is bidentate, so the denticity of the ligand itself is 22.

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