When one mole of a coordination compound with the empirical formula CoCl ₃ 5 NH ₃ is treated with excess aqueous AgNO ₃ solution, two moles of AgCl precipitate are formed. What is the correct structural formulation of this complex and its electrolyte type in aqueous solution?

Step-by-step solution

The formation of 2 moles of AgCl precipitate per mole of the complex indicates that there are two ionizable chloride ions present outside the coordination sphere. To satisfy the secondary valency (coordination number) of 6 for Cobalt(III), the remaining one chloride ion and five ammonia molecules must be present inside the coordination sphere as ligands. Thus, the structural formula of the complex is [ Co(NH ₃)₅ Cl ] Cl ₂ . In aqueous solution, it dissociates as: [ Co(NH ₃)₅ Cl ] Cl ₂ [ Co(NH ₃)₅ Cl ]²⁺ + 2 Cl ⁻ Si