Coordination compounds consist of a central metal atom or ion surrounded by ligands. Key terms include ligand (molecules/ions donating electron pairs), coordination number (number of ligand attachments to the metal), and coordination sphere (metal-ligand complex). Ligands can be monodentate (one donor atom), bidentate (two donor atoms), or polydentate (multiple donor atoms). The chelate effect stabilizes complexes with polydentate ligands. Oxidation state refers to the metal’s charge. Geometri...