Question

Which of the following complex species is not expected to exhibit optical isomerism?

Options

• [Co(en)₃]³⁺

• [Co(en)₂Cl₂]⁺

• [Co(NH₃)₃Cl₃]

• [Co(en)(NH₃)Cl₂)]⁺

Answer 1

[Co(NH₃)₃Cl₃]

Explanation:

The complex [Co(NH₃)₃Cl₃] does not exhibit optical isomerism because it has identical NH₃ and Cl⁻ ligands, which results in a non-chiral structure with a plane of symmetry. The other complexes, such as [Co(en)₃]³⁺, [Co(en)₂Cl₂]⁺, and [Co(en)(NH₃)Cl₂)]⁺, contain bidentate en ligands, making them chiral and capable of exhibiting optical isomerism.