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Writing Formulas of Coordination Compounds definitions

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  • Cation
    A positively charged ion, written before the anion in coordination compound formulas.
  • Anion
    A negatively charged ion, written after the cation in coordination compound formulas.
  • Transition Metal
    Element written before ligands in a complex ion within coordination compounds.
  • Ligand
    An ion or molecule attached to a metal atom by coordinate bonding in a complex.
  • Complex Ion
    A charged species consisting of a metal ion bonded to one or more ligands.
  • Neutral Ligand
    A ligand with no charge, listed before anionic ligands in alphabetical order.
  • Anionic Ligand
    A negatively charged ligand, listed after neutral ligands in alphabetical order.
  • Coordination Compound
    A compound consisting of a complex ion and counter ions.
  • Counter Ion
    An ion that balances the charge of a complex ion in a coordination compound.
  • Alphabetical Order
    The sequence used to list ligands, with neutral ones first, in coordination compounds.