What is the Difference Between Back Bonding and Coordinate Bonding?

The main difference between back bonding and coordinate bonding lies in the type of orbitals involved and the direction of electron donation. Both are types of covalent bonds, but they have distinct characteristics:

Coordinate Bonding:

In coordinate bonding, one element or molecule donates an electron to another element, typically through sharing a lone electron pair.
This type of bonding is commonly found in coordination complexes, where a central metal atom is bonded to ligands through coordinate bonds.
The ligands share their lone electron pairs with the metal atom.
Coordinate bonds can be represented by an arrow pointing from the donor atom to the acceptor atom.

Back Bonding:

Back bonding is a specific type of coordinate bonding.
In back bonding, electrons from filled orbitals of the d-orbital of a central metal atom are donated to the anti-bonding orbital of another group, such as a carbonyl group.
This type of bonding is common in organometallic chemistry.
Back bonding usually occurs between a chemical bond formed between an atomic orbital of one atom and an antibonding orbital of another.

In summary, while both back bonding and coordinate bonding involve the sharing of electrons, back bonding specifically refers to the donation of electrons from filled orbitals of a central metal atom to the anti-bonding orbital of another group, often in organometallic chemistry.

On this page

What is the Difference Between Back Bonding and Coordinate Bonding?

Comparative Table: Back Bonding vs Coordinate Bonding

The main difference between back bonding and coordinate bonding lies in the direction of electron flow and the types of atoms involved in the bonding. Here is a comparison table highlighting the differences between the two:

Feature	Back Bonding	Coordinate Bonding
Direction of Electron Flow	Electrons flow from the metal ion to the ligand	Electrons flow from the ligand to the metal ion
Bond Formation	A chemical bond forms between an atomic orbital of one atom and an antibonding orbital of another atom	A covalent bond is formed by two atoms sharing a pair of electrons
Occurrence	Common in organometallic chemistry	Commonly found in coordination complexes where a metal ion accepts lone electron pairs from a ligand
Type of Atoms Involved	One atom donates an electron pair, while the other atom accepts the electron pair	Both atoms share a pair of electrons

In summary, back bonding involves the flow of electrons from a metal ion to a ligand, while coordinate bonding involves the flow of electrons from a ligand to a metal ion. Back bonding is common in organometallic chemistry, whereas coordinate bonding is commonly found in coordination complexes.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.