Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

EDTA: Chemistry and Properties01:22

EDTA: Chemistry and Properties

2.1K
Polydentate ligands are most widely used in complexometric titrations because they form more stable complexes with the metal ions than mono- or bidentate ligands due to the chelate effect. Examples of polydentate ligands are ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), crown ethers, and cryptands. The most important feature of optimal polydentate ligands is the ability to form 1:1 complexes in a single-step process. Amino carboxylic acid derivatives are frequently used as complexing agents. EDTA is...
2.1K
Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration02:42

Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration

14.8K
Water and other polar molecules are attracted to ions. The electrostatic attraction between an ion and a molecule with a dipole is called an ion-dipole attraction. These attractions play an important role in the dissolution of ionic compounds in water.
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...
14.8K
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes02:46

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

43.6K
Tetrahedral Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
43.6K
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect01:19

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

588
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...
588
EDTA: Auxiliary Complexing Reagents01:26

EDTA: Auxiliary Complexing Reagents

645
EDTA titrations are usually carried out in highly basic conditions, where the fully deprotonated form of EDTA, Y4−, actively complexes with the free metal ions in the solution. Several metal ions precipitate as hydrous oxide (hydroxides, oxides, or oxyhydroxides) under these conditions, lowering the concentration of free metal ions in the solution. For this reason, auxiliary complexing agents or ligands such as ammonia, tartrate, citrate, or triethanolamine are used in EDTA titrations to...
645
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport01:17

Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport

551
Pore transport and ion-pair formation are critical mechanisms for the absorption and distribution of drugs in the body.
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited  but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
551

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Harnessing Membrane-Active Peptides for Selective Cancer Targeting: Phosphatidylserine Recognition by Tilapia Piscidin 4.

JACS Au·2026
Same author

Executive Summary: Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026.

Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies·2026
Same author

Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026.

Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies·2026
Same author

Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock in Children 2026.

Intensive care medicine·2026
Same author

AI-driven antimicrobial peptide characterization unveils novel motifs for drug design.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Financial Consequence of COVID-19 on United States PICUs: A 2017 to 2023 Study Using the Pediatric Health Information System and the Virtual Pediatric System Database.

Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies·2025
Same journal

Anisotropic unbinding and location-dependent hovering of a kinesin motor head over microtubule.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Kinesin-5/Cut7 C-terminal tail phosphorylation influence on motor regulation through multi-scale molecular modeling.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Dynamic conformations of fluorophores on self-labeling protein tags.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Different actions of RyR2 open and closed channel block explained by a multiscale Ca<sup>2+</sup> release model.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Membrane Environment Sets the Functional pK<sub>a</sub> of Ionizable Lipids.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Distinguishable spreading dynamics in microbial communities.

Biophysical journal·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
16:24

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water

Published on: August 2, 2012

18.7K

DOTAP: Structure, hydration, and the counterion effect.

Mihaela Mihailescu1, David L Worcester2, Christopher L Carroll3

  • 1Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, Maryland.

Biophysical Journal
|January 27, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The cationic lipid DOTAP

More Related Videos

Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance
08:12

Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance

Published on: September 5, 2018

16.1K
Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
07:31

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches

Published on: September 1, 2023

2.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
16:24

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water

Published on: August 2, 2012

18.7K
Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance
08:12

Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance

Published on: September 5, 2018

16.1K
Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches
07:31

Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches

Published on: September 1, 2023

2.4K

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Gene Therapy

Background:

  • DOTAP is a foundational synthetic cationic lipid for gene therapy.
  • Its quaternary ammonium headgroup mediates interactions with nucleic acids and cell membranes.
  • Understanding DOTAP's structure and counterion interactions is crucial for designing effective transfection lipids.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural impact of chloride (Cl-) and iodide (I-) counterions on DOTAP's headgroup hydration.
  • To elucidate the reasons behind the poor water solubility of DOTAP/I- complexes.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray diffraction
  • Neutron diffraction

Main Results:

  • Iodide (I-) exhibits very tight binding to the DOTAP headgroup.
  • This tight binding leads to the expulsion of water, causing poor solubility.
  • Chloride (Cl-) counterions show different hydration properties compared to iodide.

Conclusions:

  • The structural insights into DOTAP-counterion interactions are vital for optimizing transfection lipid design.
  • These findings aid in assessing the suitability of DOTAP and related quaternary ammonium lipids for gene delivery applications.