Question

Which of the following is an ambident ligand ?

• A. Ethylene diamine
• B. \(\text{Cl}^-\)
• C. EDTA
• D. SCN

Hint:

An ambident ligand has two different donor atoms but binds through only one at a time, like SCN-.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
An ambident ligand has two different atoms that can each donate a lone pair, but it uses only one at a time. Example: \(\text{SCN}^-\) can bind through S (thiocyanato) or N (isothiocyanato).

Step 2: Check the options:
Ethylenediamine has two identical N donors, so it is bidentate, not ambident. \(\text{Cl}^-\) has one donor atom, so it is monodentate. EDTA has six donor atoms (4 O and 2 N), so it is hexadentate (and the donors are used together). SCN has S and N as different donor atoms.

Step 3: Conclusion:
SCN is the ambident ligand, option D.

Final Answer:
SCN is the ambident ligand. \[ \boxed{\text{(D) }\text{SCN}} \]