The ligand 2,2’-dipyridylamine occupies a special place in modern coordination chemistry. To honor the one-hundredth anniversary of its first preparation, the chemistry of this ligand is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the structural features of the resulting metal complexes. The versatility of this ligand is manifold: it can exist in several protonation states, adopt one of nine distinct coordination modes, and stabilize complexes containing one, two, or three metal atoms, including compounds with direct metal–metal bonds. Despite its long history, new complexes of the 2,2’-dipyridylamine ligand continue to be discovered, making this ligand a gift to coordination chemists that keeps on giving.

配体2,2'-联吡啶胺在现代配位化学中占有特殊的位置。为了纪念其首次制备一百周年，对这种配体的化学进行了回顾，特别强调了所得金属配合物的结构特征。该配体的多功能性是多方面的：它可以几种质子化状态存在，采用9种不同的配位方式之一，并稳定包含一个，两个或三个金属原子的配合物，包括具有直接金属-金属键的化合物。尽管历史悠久，但仍不断发现2,2'-联吡啶胺配体的新配合物，使该配体成为继续给予的配位化学家的礼物。