Chemistry · Chapter 15

Complex Ion Formation

A ligand donates a lone pair and wraps around a metal ion. Raise the ligand supply and watch the complex fill its sites. The free metal ion falls off a cliff, which is what a big Kf really means.

The complex, filling up sites fill as ligand rises

A metal ion filling its ligand sites, with free metal ion on a log scale Ag linear, 2 sites where the metal sits free metal ion, log scale total ligand (M) the equilibrium

Pick a metal and a ligand

This is every ligand added, free or bound. The model shares it out by solving the Kf expression.

Live numbers

99.99% bound up complex wins

What you are seeing

a lewis acid meets a lewis base
Silver with ammonia