Identifying Polydentates

[Shirley Liu 2I]

How do we know if a complex's ligands can be polydentates from just looking at the formula? Or how do we know at all? There aren't really any examples in the textbook or notes, so I'm not sure how to find out

[Desiree1G]

I'm not sure if this is 100% for certain but I think there is a few we just sort of have to remember are polydentate, for instance, en, ethylenediamine or dien, diethylenetriamine. But I doubt he will give us some that we have not reviewed

[Jewelyana3A]

I also agree that he will most likely only give us ones that we already recognize. But it is best to try to memorize as much as you can so that it is quickly familiar on the exam.

[Luc Lorain 1L]

Polydentate ligands can be identified be pretty highly inferred by the availability of sites that can form coordinate covalent bonds and their proximity to each other. Regions with many electron pairs (such as amine groups) within an atom are very good at becoming ligands, so molecules with many of these groups close together can easily form polydentate ligands.

[AngelaZ 1J]

You can look at the structure or you can memorize which ligands are polydentate (there's a list of ligands we need to know on Lavelle's website).