Monodentate Ligand
A ligand that binds to the central metal through a single donor atom.
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
Monodentate ligands occupy one coordination site each, so an octahedral complex requires six of them. They are more easily displaced than multidentate ligands because losing one ligand at a time is entropically far less costly than losing a chelate.
Examples in the real world
Water, ammonia, chloride, cyanide and thiocyanate bound through a single atom.