A certain AB4 molecule has a seesaw shape: From which of the fundamental geometries shown in Figure 9.3 could you remove one or more atoms to create a molecule having this seesaw shape? [Section 9.1]
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Textbook Solutions for Chemistry: The Central Science
Question
There are two compounds of the formula \(\mathrm{Pt}\left(\mathrm{NH}_{3}\right)_{2} \mathrm{Cl}_{2}\):
The compound on the right, cisplatin, is used in cancer therapy. The compound on the left, transplatin, is ineffective for cancer therapy. Both compounds have a square-planar geometry.
(a) Which compound has a nonzero dipole moment?
(b) The reason cisplatin is a good anticancer drug is that it binds tightly to DNA. Cancer cells are rapidly dividing, producing a lot of DNA. Consequently, cisplatin kills cancer cells at a faster rate than normal cells. However, since normal cells also are making DNA, cisplatin also attacks healthy cells, which leads to unpleasant side effects. The way both molecules bind to DNA involves the \(\mathrm{Cl}^{-}\) ions leaving the Pt ion, to be replaced by two nitrogens in DNA. Draw a picture in which a long vertical line represents a piece of DNA. Draw the \(\mathrm{Pt}\left(\mathrm{NH}_{3}\right)_{2}\) fragments of cisplatin and transplatin with the proper shape. Also draw them attaching to your DNA line. Can you explain from your drawing why the shape of the cisplatin causes it to bind to DNA more effectively than transplatin?
Solution
Step 1 of 2
(a) Here we have to explain which compound has a nonzero dipole moment.
Among this two given compounds, the compound present on the right has a dipole moment because it is a cis isomer. In the square planar trans structure on the left, all equivalent bond dipoles can be oriented opposite each other, for a net dipole moment of zero.
Thus the cis isomer (cisplatin) has a non-zero dipole moment, while the trans isomer (transplatin) does not.
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