ABSTRACT
As he hoped to demonstrate, Alfred Werner's own coordination theory offered a consistent conception of valence that could be applied to both organic and inorganic compounds. By 1913, Werner's stereochemistry of the metal-ammine compounds had been effectively established. Through the coordination theory, Werner would eventually re-create inorganic chemistry, and almost single-handedly create inorganic stereochemistry. Although devoted to problems in organic chemistry, Werner's theory of affinity was easily adapted to inorganic compounds, and the metal-ammonia compounds in particular. Werner's formulas therefore did not depict individual bonds to the metal atom, but merely their spatial arrangement around the metal, reflecting his conviction that the valence could not be a pre-existing directed unit of chemical affinity. In addition to suggesting the existence of cis and trans isomers in certain metal-ammines, Werner also attempted to assign specific configurations to pairs of isomers.
