Polydentate
What is Polydentate?
Polydentate ligands (also called multidentate or chelating ligands) are ligands that can bind to a central metal ion through two or more donor atoms simultaneously, forming ring structures called chelate rings. Examples include ethylenediamine (bidentate, two donor atoms), EDTA (hexadentate, six donor atoms), and porphyrin (tetradentate). Chelate complexes are generally more stable than analogous complexes with monodentate ligands (the chelate effect), due to the favorable entropy of chelation.
Key Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Polydentate ligands (also called multidentate or chelating ligands) are ligands that can bind to a central metal ion through two or more donor atoms simultaneously, forming ring structures called chelate rings. Examples include ethylenediamine (bidentate, two donor atoms), EDTA (hexadentate, six donor atoms), and porphyrin (tetradentate). Chelate complexes are generally more stable than analogous complexes with monodentate ligands (the chelate effect), due to the favorable entropy of chelation.