Final answer:
Coordination compounds exhibit structural, geometrical, and optical isomerism. The statement that the number of stereoisomers is 1 if geometrical and optical isomers do not exist is incorrect because these isomers do indeed exist in coordination compounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'The number of stereoisomers is 1, even if geometrical and optical isomers do not exist in coordination compounds' is not accurate. Coordination compounds do in fact exhibit various types of isomerism, including geometrical and optical isomerism, as well as structural isomerism. Therefore, the correct answer to the question, which of the following statements is false, would be (a) Coordination compounds lack isomerism.
Geometrical isomerism in coordination compounds, similar to cis-trans isomerism in organic compounds, deals with the arrangement of ligands around the metal center. For example, in an octahedral complex with formula [Co(NH₃)₄Cl₂]⁺, the chloride ligands can be adjacent (cis) or opposite (trans) to each other, resulting in two different isomers.
Optical isomerism, on the other hand, occurs when a molecule cannot be superimposed on its mirror image, much like our hands are mirror images but not superimposable. Such isomers are called enantiomers. Chirality in coordination compounds is often seen in complexes with an asymmetric arrangement of ligands around the metal ion.