oxygen
To predict the relative stabilities of metal complexes with different ligands. One of the most important properties of metallic elements is their ability to act as Lewis acids that form complexes with a variety of Lewis bases. A metal complex consists of a central metal atom or ion that is bonded to one or more ligands from the Latinligare, meaning to bind , which are ions or molecules that contain one or more pairs of electrons that can be shared with the metal. Metal complexes can be neutral, such as Co NH3 3Cl3; positively charged, such as [Nd H2O 9]3+; or negatively charged, such as [UF8]4. Electrically charged metal complexes are sometimes called complex ions. A coordination compound contains one or more metal complexes. Coordination compounds are important for at least three reasons. First, most of the elements in the periodic table are metals, and almost all metals form complexes, so metal complexes are a feature of the chemistry of more than half the elements. Second, many industrial catalysts are metal complexes, and such catalysts are steadily becoming more important as a way to control reactivity. For example, a mixture of a titanium complex and an organometallic compound of aluminum is the catalyst used to produce most of the polyethylene and polypropylene plastic items we use every day. Finally, transition-metal complexes are essential in biochemistry. Examples include hemoglobin, an iron complex that transports oxygen in our blood; cytochromes, iron complexes that transfer electrons in our cells; and complexes of Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mo that are crucial components of certain enzymes, the catalysts for all biological reactions. Metal complexes are so important in biology that we consider the topic separately in Section 23.6 "Transition Metals in Biology".