What type of ligand is characterized by having multiple donor atoms but binds through only one?

An ambidentate ligand is characterized by having multiple donor atoms that can potentially bond to a metal center, but it only forms a bond through one of those donor sites during the coordination process. This unique feature allows ambidentate ligands to exhibit flexibility in their binding modes, as they can switch between different donor atoms under varying conditions.

A classic example of an ambidentate ligand is thiocyanate (SCN⁻), which can coordinate to a metal via either the sulfur atom or the nitrogen atom, but only one of these sites is used for bonding in a given complex. This differentiates ambidentate ligands from other ligand types, such as bidentate ligands, which bind through two donor atoms simultaneously, or monodentate ligands, which can only bind through a single donor atom. Poly dentate ligands, on the other hand, bind through multiple atoms simultaneously. Thus, the defining characteristic of ambidentate ligands makes them distinct in their ability to connect to metals using only one of their potential donor sites at any given time.