What is the coordination number of central metal ion in [ Fe ( C ₂ O ₄ )₃ ]³⁻ ?

Step-by-step solution

Oxalate ligand (bidentate) C ₂ O ₄ ²⁻ utilizes electron pair on each of its negatively charged oxygen atoms for linking with central metal. Hence, at a time, it coordinates with the metal ion through 2 oxygen atoms. Therefore, on binding with 3 oxalate ions, the coordination number of Fe ³⁺ will be 6 .