Question:medium

Iron carbonyl, Fe(CO)5 is

Updated On: Apr 23, 2026
  • tetranuclear
  • trinuclear
  • mononuclear
  • dinuclear
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Iron carbonyl, represented by the formula Fe(CO)5, is a compound of iron and carbon monoxide. It is classified as a metal carbonyl, which are compounds that contain metal atoms surrounded by carbon monoxide ligands.

The question asks us to identify whether Fe(CO)5 is mononuclear, dinuclear, trinuclear, or tetranuclear:

  1. Mononuclear: The term 'mononuclear' refers to a compound containing a single metal atom in its structure. In Fe(CO)5, one iron atom is central, surrounded by five carbon monoxide (CO) ligands. Since there is only one iron atom in this complex, it is classified as mononuclear.
  2. Dinuclear: This term indicates there are two metal atoms in the compound's structure. However, Fe(CO)5 contains only one iron atom, ruling out this classification.
  3. Trinuclear: This would mean the presence of three metal atoms within the compound, which is not the case here as Fe(CO)5 only has one iron atom.
  4. Tetranuclear: Similar to the trinuclear, this option would imply four metal atoms, which is incorrect for Fe(CO)5.

Conclusively, Fe(CO)5 is correctly identified as a mononuclear complex because it features only one iron atom bonded to five CO ligands.

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