The Preparation and Stability of Complex Compounds

Abstract

A wide variety of methods are used in synthesising co-ordination compounds; we shall summarise here only the more general methods. In view of its ubiquitous nature, water has most frequently been used as a solvent for preparing complex compounds. However, since all cations form some kind of bond with water molecules, it is not often appropriate to consider the water as an inert solvent that plays no part in the chemical reaction. For this reason we shall now consider the species M(H₂ 0)₆^{n +}, known as the hexaquo-ion, and see how its reactions lead to other complex cations.