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Alternative Titles: complex compound, coordinate compound, coordination complex Coordination compound, any of a class of substances with chemical structures in which a central metal atom is surrounded by nonmetal atoms or groups of atoms, called ligands, joined to it by chemical bonds. Coordination compounds include such substances as vitamin B12, hemoglobin, and chlorophyll, dyes and pigments, and catalysts used in preparing organic substances. Coordination compounds contain a central metal atom surrounded by nonmetal atoms or groups of atoms, called ligands. For example, vitamin B12 is made up of a central metallic cobalt ion bound to multiple nitrogen-containing ligands. Coordination compounds contain a central metal atom surrounded by nonmetal atoms or groups of atoms, called ligands. For example, vitamin B12 is made up of a central metallic cobalt ion bound to multiple nitrogen-containing ligands. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. A major application of coordination compounds is their use as catalysts, which serve to alter the rate of chemical reactions. Certain complex metal catalysts, for example, play a key role in the production of polyethylene and polypropylene. In addition, a very stable class of organometallic coordination compounds has provided impetus to the development of organometallic chemistry. Organometallic coordination compounds are sometimes characterized by “sandwich” structures, in which two molecules of an unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon.