Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Preparation, Purification, and Characterization of Lanthanide Complexes for Use as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: July 21, 2011
Towards polymetallic lanthanide complexes as dual contrast agents for magnetic resonance and optical imaging
Elke Debroye1, Tatjana N Parac-Vogt
1Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Leuven, Belgium. tatjana.vogt@chem.kuleuven.be.
Abstract:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a popular imaging technique in medical diagnostics. With the development of contrast agents, interest in its applications has grown tremendously. Significant effort has been made in order to identify the most important parameters that enhance the relaxation efficiency of MRI probes. Taking into account the requirements for an optimal magnetic performance, different contrast agents have been synthesized and studied. Moreover, novel bimodal probes have been developed in order to exploit the high sensitivity and resolution of optical microscopy with the ability of MRI to image opaque samples. Employing this strategy enables the simultaneous visualization of the same biological structures at different resolutions and depths. Throughout this review, different approaches used to improve relaxivity, especially by increasing the molecular volume and hence the rotational tumbling time of the agent, are highlighted. Several ways to obtain bimodal contrast agents are discussed in detail. Finally, lanthanide complexes incorporating an aromatic unit permitting efficient sensitization of lanthanide luminescence in combination with the relaxometric properties of gadolinium analogues are listed.
More Related Videos
07:26Synthesis of 68Ga Core-doped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Dual Positron Emission Tomography /T1Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: November 20, 2018
11:27Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: December 4, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Imaging Studies I: CT and MRI
Description of the Procedures
Computed Tomography (CT) scan:
Computed Tomography (CT) scans use X-ray technology to generate detailed images of bones, organs, and tissues. During the scan, the patient lies on a moving table...
Complexometric Titration: Ligands
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System IV: CMRI
Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...