EAN of metal carbonyl M(CO)x is 36 if atomic number of metal M is 26, what is the value of x?

5

The Effective Atomic Number (EAN) of a metal carbonyl complex \(M(CO)_x\) is calculated by adding the atomic number of the metal (\(M\)) to the number of electrons contributed by the ligands (\(CO\)). According to the EAN rule, the EAN should be equal to the atomic number of a noble gas.

Given that the EAN of \(M(CO)_x\) is 36 and the atomic number of metal \(M\) is 26, we can find the value of \(x\):

\[EAN = \text{Atomic number of } M + x \times \text{electrons contributed by } CO \text{ ligands}\]

\[36 = 26 + x \times 2 \quad (\text{each } CO \text{ ligand contributes 2 electrons})\]

\[36 - 26 = 2x\]

\[10 = 2x\]

\[x = \frac{10}{2} = 5\]

Therefore, the value of \(x\) is 5.

The correct answer is: (3) 5