At this point we know how to name the ligands within our complex ion and the complex ion itself. Now we have to go one step further and talk about the coordination complex as a whole. So here we're going to say, similar to naming ionic compounds, we're going to say that the name of the cation here, which is positive, is written before the anion which is negative.
And we're going to say here that the cation can be either a counter ion or it could be a complex ion. So we have to pay very close attention. If we take a look here at these two coordination complex examples. Here we have potassium connected to what's in the brackets. Remember what's in the bracket is a clear giveaway that that is our complex ion, which would mean that what's in the red this, the potassium would be our counter ion.
OK, so here this is our complex ion and then potassium here would be our counter ion. For the other one it's reversed. What's in brackets is first. That is our complex ion and it's the chloride ion that's on the end that is our counter ion. So just remember, the art in terms of naming the coordination complex as a whole is to be able to identify which portion is the counter ion and which portion is the complex ion.
In addition to this, also recognizing which one is the cation and anion is essential to properly naming these coordination complexes.