Which one of the following is the IUPAC name of [Ag(NH₃)₂] [Ag(CN)₂] ?

Which one of the following is the IUPAC name of [Ag(NH₃)₂] [Ag(CN)₂] ?

Diammine dicyanidodisilver(I)
Diammine dicyanidoargentate(I)
Diamminesilver(I) dicyanidoargentate(I)
Dicyanidoargentate(I) diamminesilver(I)
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UPSC Geoscientist – 2024
The compound is a salt consisting of a complex cation and a complex anion: [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ [Ag(CN)₂]⁻. The IUPAC name is derived by naming the cation complex followed by the anion complex.
For the cation [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺: The metal is Silver (Ag). Ammonia (NH₃) is an neutral ligand named ‘ammine’. There are two ammine ligands (diammine). The charge of the complex is +1. Since NH₃ is neutral, the oxidation state of Ag is +1. As it is a cation, the metal name is used as is, followed by the oxidation state in Roman numerals. Name: Diamminesilver(I).
For the anion [Ag(CN)₂]⁻: The metal is Silver (Ag). Cyanide (CN⁻) is an anionic ligand named ‘cyanido’ or ‘cyano’. There are two cyanido ligands (dicyanido). The charge of the complex is -1. Since CN⁻ has a charge of -1, Ag + 2(-1) = -1, so the oxidation state of Ag is +1. As it is an anion, the suffix ‘-ate’ is added to the Latin name of the metal (Argentum for Silver), followed by the oxidation state. Name: Dicyanidoargentate(I).
Combining the cation and anion names gives the full IUPAC name: Diamminesilver(I) dicyanidoargentate(I). This matches option C. Option A incorrectly uses ‘disilver’ and doesn’t separate the cation and anion naming properly. Option B combines parts of both names but doesn’t represent the ionic structure accurately. Option D reverses the order of cation and anion names.
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