Definition

[Joshua Eidam 2A]

What exactly is a ligand in the context of chemistry? Sorry if this is a simple question I just have the biological definition of a ligand stuck in my head and it's confusing me. They're somewhat similar right?

[BaileyB1F]

I found this definition online
"Ligands are ions or neutral molecules that bond to a central metal atom or ion. Ligands act as Lewis bases (electron pair donors), and the central atom acts as a Lewis acid (electron pair acceptor). Ligands have at least one donor atom with an electron pair used to form covalent bonds with the central atom".
For example, Fe(CN)6. Fe is the central mental and the ligands are the 6 CNs that bond to it. I hope that helps!

[Eliana Witham 2H]

From the lectures, a ligand is a lewis base that forms coordinate covalent bonds with a transition metal cation. That's all I have in my notes for the definition!

[FrancescaHawkins2H]

The definition I have in my notes from lecture is that a ligand is any compound that interacts with a transition metal to form a coordination compound/transition metal complex. I'm not sure how this relates to the biological definition but I hope this helps!

[Evonne Hsu 1J]

I believe ligands are compounds that are bonded to the transition metal, which forms a coordination compound.