Development of coordination chemistry with thiol-containing amino acids

•Two representative thiol-containing amino acids (TAAs), cysteine and penicillamine, can function as tritopic chelating agents.•TAAs can bind to most metal ions ranging from Group 3 to Group 15 in various coordination modes.•Isolated metal complexes with TAAs can function as metalloligands to secondary metal ions.•Coordination compounds derived from TAAs are potentially applicable as functional materials.