Question

What is the IUPAC Name of the complex \[Ni{\left( {P{F_3}} \right)_4}\] ?
A. Tetrakis (phosphorus (III) fluoride) nickel (0)
B. Tetra (phosphorus (III) fluoride) nickel
C. Nickel tetrakis phosphorus (III) fluoride
D. (Phosphorus (III) tetrakis fluoride) nickel (0)

Answer 1

Hint:A complex is basically a substance in which a metal ion or atom is linked with either a group of neutral molecules or anions known as ligands. And coordination compounds are the neutral substances (means no charge) in which at least one ion is present in the form of a complex.

Complete answer:
- IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) nomenclature is basically a method of naming coordination or organic compounds according to certain rules. IUPAC provides consistency to the names of coordination or organic compounds. It enables every compound to possess a unique name, which otherwise is not plausible with the common names. Keep certain points in mind while naming the coordination compounds:
- In order to assign a name to a coordination compound, always name cation before anion. It doesn’t matter whether the complex ion is cation or anion.
- In order to assign a name to the complex ion, assign name to the ligands first in an alphabetical order, then metal ion or atom. It should be kept in mind that the metal ion or atom is always written before ligands in the chemical formula.
- Greek prefixes are generally used to designate the number of ligands in the complex e.g. di-, tri- or tetra-. If the ligand already comprises of a Greek prefix or if it is a polydentate ligand (i.e. it can connect to more than one binding site) then, the prefixes like bis-, tris-, tetrakis- or pentakis-, are used.
- In the given compound, there are four polydentate ligands i.e. \[P{F_3}\](Phosphorus fluoride). The oxidation state of phosphorus in phosphorus fluoride is 3 (calculation is shown below).
$
  x - 3 = 0 \\
\Rightarrow x = 3
$
The central metal cation is nickel with oxidation state of 0 in the present case. Thus, IUPAC name becomes Tetrakis (phosphorus (III) fluoride) nickel (0).

Hence, the correct answer is Option A.

Note:
IUPAC nomenclature creates a standardized method to name the chemical compounds. Common nomenclature employs the older names for organic compounds rather than using the prefixes for the carbon chain. IUPAC nomenclature even provides certain rules for the naming of ions as well.