a coordination compound in which a metal atom or ion is bound to a ligand at two or more points on the ligand, so as to form a heterocyclic ring containing a metal atom
adjective
2. zoology
of or possessing chelae
3. chemistry
of or denoting a chelate
verb
4. (intransitive) chemistry
to form a chelate
Word origin
C20: from chela1
chelate in American English
(ˈkiˌleɪt)
adjective
1.
resembling or having chelae
noun
2.
a chemical compound in which the central atom (usually a metal ion) is attached to neighboring atoms by at least two coordinate bonds in such a way as to form a closed chain
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈcheˌlated or ˈcheˌlating
3.
to cause (a metal ion) to react with another molecule to form a chelate
4. Medicine
to extract (a metal) from the blood by using a chelating agent, as in the treatment for lead poisoning