Question

What is meant by stability of a coordination compound in solution?

What is a stability constant?

Answer 1

The stability constant (also called the formation constant, denoted as K_stab) is the equilibrium constant that measures the extent to which a coordination complex is formed from a central metal ion and its ligands in solution.

M^a+ + nL^x− ⇌  [MLn]^b+

Stability constant, beta = `[ML_n]^(b+)/([M^(a+)][L^(x-)]^n)`

For this reaction, the greater the value of the stability constant, the greater is the proportion of ML_n in the solution.