Question:medium

(i) Give a chemical test to show that \([Co(NH_3)_5SO_4]Cl\) and \([Co(NH_3)_5Cl]SO_4\) are ionisation isomers.

(ii) What is meant by the 'Chelate effect'? Give an example.

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Ionisation isomers are coordination compounds that have the same formula but give different ions when dissolved in water, because the groups inside the complex (coordination sphere) and the groups outside (counter ions)
Updated On: Jun 16, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understand ionisation isomers.
The two complexes \([Co(NH_3)_5SO_4]Cl\) and \([Co(NH_3)_5Cl]SO_4\) have the same formula, but they swap which group is bonded inside (coordination sphere) and which stays outside as a free ion. So in water they release different free ions.

Step 2: Find the free ion in each.
In \([Co(NH_3)_5SO_4]Cl\), the free ion outside is chloride \(Cl^-\). In \([Co(NH_3)_5Cl]SO_4\), the free ion outside is sulphate \(SO_4^{2-}\).

Step 3: Test for the free sulphate.
Add barium chloride \((BaCl_2)\) solution. Only \([Co(NH_3)_5Cl]SO_4\) gives a white precipitate of barium sulphate \((BaSO_4)\), because it has free \(SO_4^{2-}\). The other complex gives no such precipitate.

Step 4: Test for the free chloride.
Add silver nitrate \((AgNO_3)\) solution. Only \([Co(NH_3)_5SO_4]Cl\) gives a white precipitate of silver chloride \((AgCl)\), because it has free \(Cl^-\). This confirms the two are ionisation isomers.

Step 5: Chelate effect.
When a single ligand uses two or more donor atoms to grip the metal and form a ring (a chelate ring), the complex becomes much more stable than a similar complex made from separate single-donor (monodentate) ligands. This extra stability is called the chelate effect.

Step 6: Example.
Ethylenediamine (en) is a bidentate ligand. \([Co(en)_3]^{3+}\) is far more stable than \([Co(NH_3)_6]^{3+}\), even though both use six Co-N bonds, because en forms stable five-membered chelate rings.

Answer: Use \(BaCl_2\) (detects free \(SO_4^{2-}\)) and \(AgNO_3\) (detects free \(Cl^-\)) to tell the ionisation isomers apart. The chelate effect is the extra stability of a complex containing chelate rings, for example \([Co(en)_3]^{3+}\).
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