chelate /kē″lāt/ [Gk, chele, claw] , 1. n., a polydentate ligand, either ionic or neutral, that forms a chemical complex with metal ions in solution. An example is the interaction of a metal ion and two or more polar groups of a single molecule. 2. n., (in medicine) any coordination compound composed of a central metal ion and an organic molecule with multiple bonds arranged in ring formations, used especially in chemotherapeutic treatments for metal poisoning. 3. adj., pertaining to chelation.
