Read the Passage carefully and answer the questions.

When a ligand is bound to a metal ion through a single donor atom, it is said to be a unidentate ligand but when it bind through two donor atoms, then it is said to be didentate ligand and when several donor atoms are present in a single ligand, it is said to be a polydentate ligand. When a di- or polydentate ligand uses its two or more donor atoms simultaneously to bind a single metal ion, it is said to be a chelate ligand. The number of such ligating groups is called the denticity of the ligand. ligand which has two different donor atoms and either of the two ligetes in the complex is called ambidentate ligands. The number of ligand donor atoms to which the metal is directly bonded, is called coordination number of the metal ion in the complex. Complexes in which a metal is bound to only one kind of donor groups are known as homoleptic and in which a metal is bound to more than one kind of donor groups are known as heteroleptic complexes.

Which among the following is an ambidentate ligand?

$SCN^-$

The correct answer is Option (1) → $SCN^-$

An ambidentate ligand is one that can coordinate to a metal ion through two different donor atoms, but only one at a time.

Let’s check the options:

• SCN⁻ (thiocyanate) → can coordinate through S or N --- CORRECT ANSWER
• NH₃ → coordinates only through N  hence, INCORRECT
• CN⁻ → coordinates mainly through C (not ambidentate at this level), hence, INCORRECT 
• CO → coordinates through C only, hence, INCORRECT