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NAL Agricultural Thesaurus
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Concept Breadcrumbs

Research, Technology, Methods > research > animal research > chemical substances > technical chemicals > ligands
Research, Technology, Methods > research > animal research > chemical substances > chemical compounds > coordination compounds > ligands
Preferred Term:

ligands

Definition:
A molecule that binds to another molecule, used especially to refer to a small molecule that binds specifically to a larger molecule, e.g., an antigen binding to an antibody, a hormone or neurotransmitter binding to a receptor, or a substrate or allosteric effector binding to an enzyme. Ligands are also molecules that donate or accept a pair of electrons to form a coordinate covalent bond with the central metal atom of a coordination complex.
Concept Schemes:
NALT Full
Broader Concept:
technical chemicals, coordination compounds
Related Concepts:
URI:
https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/261978
Download this Concept:
RDF/XMLCreated 2015-09-29, last modified 2018-02-16