The main purpose of the following experiment is to produce a coordination compound that contains the oxalate ligand, and to determine the number of each ion in the KaFeb(ox)c·dH2O formula. In this case, the oxalate is a bidentate ligand which essentially chelates to the iron atom through two points (1). First discovered in the early 18th century by the Alfred Werner, the concept of coordination compounds was not grasped until after 200 years passed (3). Coordination compounds are composed of a central metal, ligands that bind with the metal, and oftentimes counterions. The combination of the complex ion and the counterions form a coordination compound. Subsequently, Coordination compounds are prominent and vital to biological life because of their various applications. They can …show more content…
This was possible because the mixture of potassium oxalate and iron (III) chloride is not soluble in water. This product created a precipitate, which resulted in a green crystallized product. The crystal precipitate was then isolated from the rest of the liquid substance and dried to determine the percent composition to determine the formula. The second day of the coordination compound synthesis lab consisted of performing titrations and then determining the mass of oxalate (ox) (2). An ion-exchange technique was then used to find the amount of potassium and iron (III) in the compound. Ion-exchange columns are prominent in research labs to target and remove certain ions from a solution or mixture (2). Essentially, an ion exchange column will exchange the K+ with the H+ ions and will result in a solution of hydrogen ions and the iron-oxalate anion. After this, an acid-base titration will be conducted. The hypothesis of this lab is that the creation of a coordination compound can help determine an unknown formula by determining the percent composition and conducting titration of the ions present in the