Co + and Fe + , respectively. These central atoms/ions are also referred to as Lewis acids . ( c ) Ligands The ions or molecules bound to the central atom/ion in the coordination entity are called ligands. These may be simple ions such as Cl – , small molecules such as H O or NH , larger molecules such as H NCH CH NH or N(CH CH NH ) or even macromolecules, such as proteins.
When a ligand is bound to a metal ion through a single donor atom, as with Cl – , H O or NH , the ligand is said to be unidentate . When a ligand can bind through two donor atoms as in H NCH CH NH (ethane- , -diamine) or C O – (oxalate), the ligand is said to be didentate and when several donor atoms are present in a single ligand as in N(CH CH NH ) , the ligand is said to be polydentate . Ethylenediaminetetraacetate ion (EDTA – ) is an important hexadentate ligand. It can bind through two nitrogen and four oxygen atoms to a central metal ion.
When a di- or polydentate ligand uses its two or more donor atoms simultaneously to bind a single metal ion, it is said to be a chelate ligand. The number of such ligating groups is called the denticity of the ligand. Such complexes, called chelate complexes tend to be more stable than similar complexes containing unidentate ligands. Ligand which has two different donor atoms and either of the two ligetes in the complex is called ambidentate ligand .
Examples of such ligands are the NO – and SCN – ions. NO – ion can coordinate either through nitrogen or through oxygen to a central metal atom/ion. Similarly, SCN – ion can coordinate through the sulphur or nitrogen atom. ( d ) Coordination number The coordination number (CN) of a metal ion in a complex can be defined as the