Polydentate

[kellyz_1C]

How can you tell when a molecule is polydentate vs monodentate? ie; why isn't cyanide polydentate

[Jessica Urzua-1H]

A polydentate is able to bind to a metal at several different locations (elements/lone pairs) while a monodentate can only bind to a metal one element/lone pair at time. Cyanide is not a polydentate, because the metal can only bind to one of the lone pairs in the structure at a time, therefore making it a monodentate.

[Fiona Grant 1I]

How exactly would you be able to identify where it can form a bond, in order to determine if it is polydentate? For example, how do you know that the molecule N(CH2CH2NH2)2 is tetradentate.

[Natalie Noble 1G]

An easy way to do this is to draw the structure and see if there are lone pairs, because that means it can bind to a metal at that site.
In N(CH2CH2NH2)3 all the N have one lone pair, and there are 4 N present, so it is tetradentate

[princessturner1G]

There have to be two different atoms which have lone pairs for it to be polydentate, correct?

[AnnaYan_1l]

Yes, I believe that multiple atoms in the compound would have to have lone pairs for it to be polydentate. It wouldn't be polydentate if a single N had 3 lone pairs, for example. Instead, it would be polydentate if multiple N had lone pairs.