Question

Is EDTA a monodentate ligand?

Answer 1

Mono dentate ligand: Lewis bases that give one pair of electrons (referred to as a "mono") to a metal atom are known as monodentate ligands. Monodentate ligands can be neutral molecules or ions, most frequently anions. Example: ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-},{\mathrm{F}}^{-},{\mathrm{CN}}^{-},{\mathrm{NH}}_{3,}{\mathrm{PPh}}_3$

EDTA: The full form of EDTA is Ethylenediaminetetraacetate. The structure of EDTA can give a better understanding of ligand chemistry-

From the structure of EDTA, the following conclusion is obtained-

1. Two nitrogen atoms and four oxygen atoms are available for the donation of electrons.
2. Its six donor atoms make it a hexadentate ligand.
3. We may state that EDTA is not a monodentate ligand because there are six donor atoms present rather than just one.

Final answer: Hence, EDTA is not a monodentate ligand.