Metal complexes play important roles as catalysts or other participants in synthetic and biological reactions. Substrates and sometimes attacking reagents also are activated through coordination with metal atoms or ions. In these events the natures not only of the central metals but also of ancillary ligands exert important influences on the stability and reactivity of the coordinated substrates. A ligand in general can adopt various coordination modes depending on its chemical environment, thus functioning as a probe. The number of coordination modes increases with increasing complexity of...