Two enantiomeric pair in which all three pairs of identical ligands are cis.

Three isomers in which one pair of identical ligands (L a or L b or L c) is trans while the other two pairs of ligands are mutually cis.

One isomer in which all three pairs of identical ligands are trans.

Octahedral transition-metal complexes containing amines and simple anions are often referred to as Werner-type complexes.Ģ, a total of five geometric isomers and six stereoisomers are possible.

His insight allowed chemists to rationalize the number of isomers of coordination compounds. The concept of octahedral coordination geometry was developed by Alfred Werner to explain the stoichiometries and isomerism in coordination compounds. For example, 3+, which is not octahedral in the mathematical sense due to the orientation of the N−H bonds, is referred to as octahedral.

The term 'octahedral' is used somewhat loosely by chemists, focusing on the geometry of the bonds to the central atom and not considering differences among the ligands themselves. Examples of octahedral compounds are sulfur hexafluoride SF 6 and molybdenum hexacarbonyl Mo(CO) 6. A perfect octahedron belongs to the point group O h. The octahedron is one of the Platonic solids, although octahedral molecules typically have an atom in their centre and no bonds between the ligand atoms. The octahedron has eight faces, hence the prefix octa. In chemistry, octahedral molecular geometry, also called square bipyramidal, describes the shape of compounds with six atoms or groups of atoms or ligands symmetrically arranged around a central atom, defining the vertices of an octahedron. Molecular geometry Octahedral molecular geometry

Compound molecular geometry table