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JEE Main levelOne or more correct optionsDifficulty 2 of 3cc138

Which of the following octahedral species are optically active? One or more options may be correct.

Atrans- $[Co (en) X_{2} Cl X_{2}] X^{+}$
B $[Co (en) X_{3}] X^{3 +}$
Ccis- $[Co (en) X_{2} Cl X_{2}] X^{+}$
Dfac- $[Co (NH X_{3}) X_{3} Cl X_{3}]$

Answer: B, C

A complex is optically active if it has no mirror plane or centre of symmetry.

[Co (en) X_{3}] X^{3 +}

and cis-

[Co (en) X_{2} Cl X_{2}] X^{+}

are propeller-like and chiral. trans-

[Co (en) X_{2} Cl X_{2}] X^{+}

and fac-

[Co (NH X_{3}) X_{3} Cl X_{3}]

each possess mirror planes, so they are inactive.

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