Home › UP Board Class 12 › chemistry › Coordination Compounds › A ligand that has ONLY ONE donor atom (which for…
A ligand that has ONLY ONE donor atom (which forms a single bond to the central metal) is called
Apolydentate
Bambidentate
Cmonodentate
Dchelating
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. monodentate
1. NCERT §5.2 classifies ligands by the number of donor atoms.
2. MONODENTATE: one donor atom per ligand. Examples: $\mathrm{H_2O}$ (donor O), $\mathrm{NH_3}$ (donor N), $\mathrm{Cl^-}$, $\mathrm{CN^-}$ (donor C usually).
3. BIDENTATE: two donor atoms per ligand. Example: ethylenediamine 'en' ($\mathrm{H_2N{-}CH_2{-}CH_2{-}NH_2}$).
4. POLYDENTATE (option A): more than one donor atom. Includes bi-, tri-, tetra-, etc. EDTA (hexadentate) is the most famous.
5. CHELATING (option D): a special case of polydentate where the ligand wraps around the metal to form a ring.
6. AMBIDENTATE (option B): can bind through EITHER of two donor atoms (e.g. $\mathrm{NO_2^-}$ via N or O), but bonds through only ONE at a time.
_Source: NCERT Class 12 Chemistry Part 1, Ch 5, §5.2 (Ligand classification), p. 2–3._
Related questions
Which of the following is TRUE about a double salt vs a complex?The correct IUPAC name of [NiCl₂(PPh₃)₂] isThe coordination sphere of K₄[Fe(CN)₆] isThe correct order of ligand denticity, from smallest to largest, isChelate complexes tend to be more stable than similar complexes with unidentate ligands. TThe primary and secondary valences of Co in [Co(NH₃)₆]Cl₃ are respectivelyWhich of the following is a homoleptic complex?Which coordination polyhedron does [Ni(CO)₄] adopt?