Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Colors and Magnetism

Colors and Magnetism

Color in Coordination Complexes
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...

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

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...

Metal-Ligand Bonds

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...

Complexometric Titration: Ligands

Complexometric Titration: Ligands

Different monodentate and polydentate ligands are used as complexing agents in complexometric titration reactions. The formation of complexes by mono- and bidentate ligands involves two or more intermediate steps, limiting their use as complexing agents. In comparison, polydentate ligands can form complexes with metal ions in a single-step process, facilitating sharper end points. This means polydentate ligands, such as amino carboxylic acid derivatives, are most commonly employed in...

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

Extraction: Advanced Methods

Extraction: Advanced Methods

Metal ions can be separated from one another by complexation with organic ligands–the chelating agent– to form uncharged chelates. Here, the chelating agent must contain hydrophobic groups and behave as a weak acid, losing a proton to bind with the metal. Since most organic ligands used in this process are insoluble or undergo oxidation in the aqueous phase, the chelating agent is initially added to the organic phase and extracted into the aqueous phase. The metal-ligand complex is...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Author Correction: Electronic energy levels and optical spectra of trivalent lanthanide ions in water - Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III), Ho(III), Er(III), Tm(III), and Yb(III).

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Mapping the Coordination Number and Coordination Geometry of Lanthanide Ions in Aqueous and Nonaqueous Solution Phases.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Eu<sup>3+</sup> doped Y<sup>3+</sup> dipicolinate crystals: differences in the luminescence spectra and concentration quenching of Eu<sup>3+</sup> luminescence.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2026

Same author

Room temperature luminescence of a triangulenium dye ADOTA in PVA films.

Methods and applications in fluorescence·2026

Same author

Less is not Always More: Creating Super Bright and Robust Polymer-Based Fluorescent Nanomaterials.

Small methods·2026

Same author

Electronic energy levels and optical spectra of trivalent lanthanide ions in water - Ce(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III), Ho(III), Er(III), Tm(III), and Yb(III).

Nature communications·2025

Same journal

RETRACTED: Atta et al. Effect of Montmorillonite Nanogel Composite Fillers on the Protection Performance of Epoxy Coatings on Steel Pipelines. <i>Molecules</i> 2017, <i>22</i>, 905.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Same journal

Correction: Chen et al. Chemical Composition of <i>Litsea pungens</i> Essential Oil and Its Potential Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities. <i>Molecules</i> 2023, <i>28</i>, 6835.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Same journal

Correction: Ruan et al. Comparison of Extraction, Isolation, Purification, Structural Characterization and Immunomodulatory Activity of Polysaccharides from Two Species of <i>Cistanche</i>. <i>Molecules</i> 2025, <i>30</i>, 4754.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Same journal

Correction: Li et al. Gastrodin Ameliorates Cognitive Dysfunction in Vascular Dementia Rats by Suppressing Ferroptosis via the Regulation of the Nrf2/Keap1-GPx4 Signaling Pathway. <i>Molecules</i> 2022, <i>27</i>, 6311.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Same journal

Correction: Zueva et al. Steady-State Kinetics of Enzyme-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Echothiophate, a P-S Bonded Organophosphorus as Monitored by Spectrofluorimetry. <i>Molecules</i> 2020, <i>25</i>, 1371.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Same journal

1,4-Diazatriphenylene and Its Hetero-Fused Analogs: Synthesis and Applications.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Preparation, Purification, and Characterization of Lanthanide Complexes for Use as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Preparation, Purification, and Characterization of Lanthanide Complexes for Use as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: July 21, 2011

HOCl Responsive Lanthanide Complexes Using Hydroquinone Caging Units.

Elena Del Giorgio¹, Thomas Just Sørensen¹

¹Nano-Science Center & Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken5, 2100 København Ø, Denmark.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

|April 29, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed new lanthanide complexes to detect hypochlorous acid, a key molecule in redox biology. These probes offer a promising tool for monitoring cellular redox potential, addressing a significant gap in current biological research.

Keywords:

ROS probes lanthanide coordination chemistry lanthanide luminescence reactive oxygen species responsive molecular probes

More Related Videos

Application of Elemental Lanthanides in the Selective C-F Activation of Trifluoromethylated Benzofulvenes Providing Access to Various Difluoroalkenes

Application of Elemental Lanthanides in the Selective C-F Activation of Trifluoromethylated Benzofulvenes Providing Access to Various Difluoroalkenes

Published on: July 28, 2018

Synthesis of Core-shell Lanthanide-doped Upconversion Nanocrystals for Cellular Applications

Synthesis of Core-shell Lanthanide-doped Upconversion Nanocrystals for Cellular Applications

Published on: November 10, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Preparation, Purification, and Characterization of Lanthanide Complexes for Use as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Preparation, Purification, and Characterization of Lanthanide Complexes for Use as Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: July 21, 2011

Application of Elemental Lanthanides in the Selective C-F Activation of Trifluoromethylated Benzofulvenes Providing Access to Various Difluoroalkenes

Application of Elemental Lanthanides in the Selective C-F Activation of Trifluoromethylated Benzofulvenes Providing Access to Various Difluoroalkenes

Published on: July 28, 2018

Synthesis of Core-shell Lanthanide-doped Upconversion Nanocrystals for Cellular Applications

Synthesis of Core-shell Lanthanide-doped Upconversion Nanocrystals for Cellular Applications

Published on: November 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Chemical Biology
Redox Biology
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

Monitoring redox potential in cellular biology remains challenging due to a lack of reliable molecular probes.
While probes for reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are common, specific tools for redox potential are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

To design and synthesize novel, kinetically inert lanthanide complexes capable of selectively reacting with hypochlorous acid (HOCl).
To establish a proof-of-concept for using redox-active hydroquinone units conjugated to lanthanide complexes as molecular probes.

Main Methods:

Synthesis and characterization of three novel octadentate ligands based on DO3A and DO2A frameworks.
Complexation of these ligands with trivalent lanthanide ions.
Selective reaction of the lanthanide complexes with hypochlorous acid.
Monitoring the probe conversion using luminescence, absorption, and NMR spectroscopy in a model system.

Main Results:

Three kinetically inert lanthanide complexes were successfully prepared and characterized.
The complexes demonstrated selective reactivity towards hypochlorous acid.
The conversion of the probe to highly symmetric lanthanide(III) 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacedic acid (DOTA) complexes was confirmed by spectroscopic methods.

Conclusions:

The developed lanthanide complexes serve as effective molecular probes for hypochlorous acid.
The design principle of conjugating simple redox-active units like hydroquinones with lanthanide(III) complexes is validated.
This approach offers a potential solution for monitoring redox potential in cellular biology.