”In chemistry, the coordination number is the sum of the total number of neighbors of a central atom in a chemical compound and the number of lone pairs on it. In methane the coordination number for the carbon atom is 4.”

- Wikipedia Encyclopedia*

 

I don't know that much about chemistry to begin with but does anyone know if coordination number is important in organic chemistry for the bonding of complex molecules?

 

"In methane the coordination number for the carbon atom is 4"

 

I think this means that the carbon atom has a coordination number of four but from what I've read so far coordination numbers range from 1-16, four seems kind of low for carbon. Does the coordination number change depending on what is being bonded with the carbon?

Coordination number is more important for inorganic chemistry.

For organic its pretty much 4 (Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulfur, Phosphorus). Double bonds reducing it by 1. Plus occasionally it will be higher when you have a metal bound or something like weird like that. I guess a carbocation whould have a coordination Number of 3 but that is very short lived species.

 

Yeah organic chemists don't really worry much about coordination number. It's pretty much limited to a few values.

 

Oh yeah this should be moved to the chemistry forum. Doesn't have much to do with biochemistry.

OK thanks I think you pretty much answered my question.

 

Does anyone know if the coordination number ever changes?