What does "ligand" mean?

A molecule or moiety (ion, functional group, or radical) that binds to another chemical entity to form a larger complex; as, especially:; Such an entity that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex.

Ligand

Q: What is a synonym for "ligand"?

Common synonyms include: binding ligand, binding molecule, binding partner, coordinating ligand, donor ligand, drug candidate.

/ˈlɪɡ.ənd/ noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A molecule or moiety (ion, functional group, or radical) that binds to another chemical entity to form a larger complex; as, especially:; Such an entity that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. physical
2
a substance (an atom or molecule or radical or ion) that forms a complex around a central atom wordnet
3
A molecule or moiety (ion, functional group, or radical) that binds to another chemical entity to form a larger complex; as, especially:; Such an entity that forms a complex with a biomolecule to serve a biological purpose. physical
4
A letter that orthography requires or allows to be ligated with one or more other letters to form a ligature, such as a in æ or o in œ.

Synonyms

All synonyms

binding ligand binding molecule binding partner coordinating ligand donor ligand drug candidate

Antonyms

All antonyms

no ligand nonligand unbound species

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ligandus, gerundive of ligo (“bind”).

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