Construct · 2 fields · 2 citations

ligand: one construct, many systems

One name. One construct. Different systems. One map.

● invariant · one construct, two systems Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
same binding-partner idea, applied to proteinsligand2 SYSTEMSCoordination ligandWERNER · CENTRAL ATOMReceptor ligandSCATCHARD · BINDING

Spokes are the systems the one construct recurs in; dashed arcs are shared lineage. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

1893Coordination ligand1949Receptor ligand
2026

Drag to watch the word get claimed. Each field appears at the publication date of the earliest source cited for it. Tap a year to see which.

Coordination chemistry

A group bound to a central metal ion

In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom, donating electron pairs to form a coordination complex whose geometry and properties depend on the number and arrangement of these ligands. Werner's 1893 coordination theory introduced the picture of groups arranged in defined positions around a central metal, the framework from which the ligand concept grew. The referent is a binding partner attached to a central atom, the same core idea of a thing that binds a target that reappears in biochemistry.[1]

Unit
The identity, number, and arrangement of groups bound to a central atom
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Determined by coordination number, binding geometry, and the stability constants of the complex

Biochemistry & pharmacology

A molecule that binds a protein or receptor

In biochemistry and pharmacology, a ligand is any molecule that binds specifically to a protein (a receptor, enzyme, or carrier), usually at a defined site and often reversibly, with the strength of binding captured by an affinity constant. Scatchard's 1949 treatment of the attraction of proteins for small molecules gave the quantitative framework, and the linearized plot that bears his name, for extracting binding affinity and the number of sites. It is the same construct as the coordination ligand (a partner that binds to a central target), here realised for biological macromolecules and measured by affinity and site number.[2]

Unit
The affinity and number of sites at which a molecule binds a protein
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Measured by saturation binding and Scatchard or related analysis yielding affinity and site density

Next

Run it through the Collider, or take the citations with you.

See how ligand sits against neighbouring constructs in the Collider, or export every reference on this page in one click.

Open in ColliderExport BibTeXReport this entry

Nearby constructs

receptor2 fields · 2 citationsjingle · one word, two constructsbinding4 fields · 4 citationsjingle · one word, four constructscomplex4 fields · 4 citationsjingle · one word, four constructs

References

  1. Werner, A. (1893). Beitrag zur Konstitution anorganischer Verbindungen. Zeitschrift für anorganische Chemie, 3(1), 267–330. https://doi.org/10.1002/zaac.18930030136
  2. Scatchard, G. (1949). The attractions of proteins for small molecules and ions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 51(4), 660–672. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1949.tb27297.x

Cited on this page?

Confirm your construct, or correct us.

If your work is cited behind one of these entries, you know better than we do whether we captured the meaning right. Confirm it, suggest an edit, or dispute it, and your name goes on the entry as an author who has checked it, linked to your ORCID.

Claim your construct