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Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

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In complexation reactions, metal atoms or cations interact with ligands to form donor-acceptor adducts called metal complexes. Ligands that bind through one donor site are monodentate, ligands with two donor sites are bidentate, and those with more than two donor sites are polydentate ligands. For example, ethylene diamine is a bidentate ligand that binds through two nitrogen donor atoms, forming a five-membered ring. EDTA is a polydentate ligand that binds through four oxygen and two nitrogen...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Cellular Affinity of Particle-Stabilized Emulsion to Boost Antigen Internalization

Cellular Affinity of Particle-Stabilized Emulsion to Boost Antigen Internalization

Published on: September 2, 2022

Bridging interactions and selective nanoparticle aggregation mediated by monovalent cations.

Dawei Wang¹, Baudilio Tejerina, István Lagzi

¹School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China.

|December 25, 2010

Summary

Monovalent cations like cesium (Cs+) and potassium (K+) can selectively aggregate and precipitate like-charged nanoparticles (NPs). This precipitation is driven by cation-specific binding to ligands, not cation size or the Hofmeister series.

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Facet-to-facet Linking of Shape-anisotropic Colloidal Cadmium Chalcogenide Nanostructures

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Published on: August 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Colloid and Surface Science
Nanotechnology
Physical Chemistry

Background:

Like-charged nanoparticles (NPs) typically repel each other due to electrostatic forces.
Controlling nanoparticle aggregation is crucial for applications in materials science and nanotechnology.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of different monovalent cations and anions on the selective aggregation and precipitation of carboxylate-functionalized nanoparticles.
To develop a theoretical model explaining the observed precipitation trends.

Main Methods:

Experimental precipitation studies using various monovalent cations (Cs+, K+, Li+, Na+, Rb+) and anions.
Theoretical modeling combining Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory with molecular-level calculations.

Main Results:

Selective precipitation of like-charged NPs was induced by monovalent cations, with an observed ordering of critical concentrations: Cs+ ≫ K+ > Li+ > Na+ > Rb+.
Precipitation trends did not correlate with hydrated cation size or follow the Hofmeister series.
Anions showed no significant effect on NP precipitation trends.

Conclusions:

Cation-specific binding to carboxylate ligands is the primary mechanism driving selective nanoparticle precipitation.
The developed theoretical model successfully rationalizes the experimental observations, highlighting the importance of molecular interactions in colloidal systems.