Ambidentate Ligand

Ambidentate ligand is a type of ligand that will connect to the central metal atom through atoms of two different elements. Mainly ambidentate ligands have quite one donor atom but during dative bond formation, just one of them attaches itself to the central metal atom. A compound during which the central metal atom or ion is bound to several ions or neutral molecules by sharing electrons is understood as a complex. These ions or molecules attached to the central atom or ion within the coordination entity are called Ligands. The term ‘Ligand’ springs from the Latin word Ligandus which suggests ‘to bind’. Ligands are mostly electron-pair donors and form a coordinate chemical bond with the metal atom. Ligands could also be neutral, cationic, or anionic.

Ligand 

 A ligand is a molecule or an ion (a functional group) that binds to a central metal atom (which is normally in one of three oxidation states: zero, negative, or positive) and donates one or more electron pairs. This implies that ligands act as Lewis bases (by donating a pair of electrons) and the central atom behaves as a Lewis acid (because they accept a pair of electrons). A minimum of one donor atom with an electron pair capable of forming a chemical bond with the centre atom must be present in all ligands.

Classification of ligand 

• Ligands are often classified in a sort of way like size, charge, and therefore the number of electrons that are donated to the central metal ion. It is important to understand that the dimensions of a ligand are indicated by its cone angle. The cone angle of a ligand is the angle shaped with the central metal atom

• Ligands also impact the reactivity of the central metal atom when it is bound, as well as the ligands’ reactivity and thus the ligand substitution rates.

Ambidentate Ligands 

Ambidentate ligands are ligands that will bind to the central atom in two places. It is often because they need quite one donor atom which may coordinate.

It is important to notice that these ligands are capable of bonding to a central atom through two different atoms, but only bond with one among them at a time. This sort of ligand also tends to be linear in geometry.

Examples of ambidentate ligands:

SCN- is an example of an ambidentate ligand. This is often because it can bond to a coordination centre through nitrogen as well as sulphur.

Linkage Isomerism

Linkage isomers are two (or more) compounds during which the donor atom is different (so, the connectivity between the atoms is different). Put more simply, the sole difference between the two is what atoms within the ligand bind to the central ion.

This classification of isomerism can therefore only occur when the compound contains an ambidentate ligand.

Reason for naming  Ambidentate ligands

 Ambidentate ligands also have different names; these different names are given to specify which atom has coordinated to the central metal ion. So, when NO2 binds with the N atom it is called nitro, but when it binds with the O atom it’s called nitrite.

There are many other samples of this naming convention. For instance, then SCN- binds through the lone pair of electrons on the S atom, the complexes are called thiocyanate. When the ligand compels through the N atom, the complex is named isothiocyanate.

Conclusion 

From the mentioned article we will conclude that ambidentate ligands are ligands that will bind to the central atom in two places. It is often because they need quite one donor atom which may coordinate. Ligand exchange involves the exchange of acidic levels of organic matter (e.g., carboxylic and phenolic) for hydroxyl groups on the surface. This mechanism is assumed to dominate the adsorption of essences and raw substances on hydrous aluminium and iron surfaces in freshwater. Ligand exchange occurs primarily in acid soils and soils that are rich in oxides. In marine systems, binding by ligand swap also can be a substantial mechanism.