Chelate

[Kaleb Tesfaye 1I]

I am having difficulty understanding what a Chelate is? What determines if a molecule will form a ring of atoms or not?

[Johanna Caprietta 1E]

Chelate contains a ligand bonded to a central metal atom at two or more points, usually forming a ring. I was also told that if a coordination compound contains at least one non-monodenate ligand, it would be considered a chelate. I hope this make sense.

[Emily 1E]

It's a central metal atom attached to ligands in a ring/cyclical structure. The ring structure can only be created with polydentate ligands, that can form coordinate bonds with more than one other atom/molecule. In most cases, the metal atom is bonded to a ligand, which is bonded to another ligand which bonds to the same central metal atom. The larger the number of rings it creates, the more stable the complex is. Looking at images of them might make it easier to understand.

[Jada Larson 1F]

A chelate is a ligand that forms a ring with the central metal. It bonds cations very tightly, and an example of one is EDTA.