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

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...

Cooperative Allosteric Transitions

Cooperative Allosteric Transitions

Cooperative allosteric transitions can occur in multimeric proteins, where each subunit of the protein has its own ligand-binding site. When a ligand binds to any of these subunits, it triggers a conformational change that affects the binding sites in the other subunits; this can change the affinity of the other sites for their respective ligands. The ability of the protein to change the shape of its binding site is attributed to the presence of a mix of flexible and stable segments in the...

Stereoisomerism

Stereoisomerism

Isomerism in Complexes
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...

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

In most main group element compounds, the valence electrons of the isolated atoms combine to form chemical bonds that satisfy the octet rule. For instance, the four valence electrons of carbon overlap with electrons from four hydrogen atoms to form CH4. The one valence electron leaves sodium and adds to the seven valence electrons of chlorine to form the ionic formula unit NaCl (Figure 1a). Transition metals do not normally bond in this fashion. They primarily form coordinate covalent bonds, a...

Ladder Diagrams: Complexation Equilibria

Ladder Diagrams: Complexation Equilibria

Ladder diagrams are useful for evaluating equilibria involving metal-ligand complexes. The vertical scale of the ladder diagram represents the concentration of unreacted or free ligand, pL. The horizontal lines on the scale depict the log of stepwise formation constants for metal-ligand complexes and indicate the dominant species in all the regions.
The formation constant, K1, for the formation of Cd(NH3)2+ complex from cadmium and ammonia is 3.55 × 102. Log K1 (i.e. pNH3) is 2.55, and...

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

An Underwater Self-Healing Polysulfide Elastomer with In-Situ Curing and Adhesion.

Polymer science & technology (Washington, D.C.)·2026

Same author

Retraction: Planar chiral orange-red TADF materials with AIE properties for efficient circularly polarized OLEDs.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2026

Same author

Strain resilient and self-healing nanocomposite conductors with ultralow sheet resistance.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Thinner-than-paper and broad-temperature-adaptive zinc-iodine batteries enabled by nanophase separated deep-eutectic hydrogel electrolytes.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Designing Multifunctional Catalysts for Lithium-Oxygen Batteries via an Amine-Epoxide Ring-Opening Reaction.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Understanding the Impact of Grafted Chain Length in Polymer Electrolytes with Nonlinear Architectures.

Macromolecules·2026

Same journal

Optical-controlled magnon transport based on spin crossover switched molecular magnets.

Smart molecules : open access·2026

Same journal

Stepwise mitochondria-targeted photodynamic immunotherapy enabled by an outer membrane vesicles-based nanoplatform for synergistic tumor ablation and immune reprogramming.

Smart molecules : open access·2026

Same journal

A novel sulfur-containing photoinitiator based on benzophenone derivatives for rapid photopolymerization.

Smart molecules : open access·2026

Same journal

A novel water-soluble near-infrared fluorescent probe for monitoring viscosity fluctuations in plants and zebrafish under abiotic stresses.

Smart molecules : open access·2026

Same journal

A flexible arched artificial photoreceptor constructed by photodeformable liquid crystal polymers and its application in vision restoration.

Smart molecules : open access·2026

Same journal

Intermolecular hydrogen-bonded associates of BODIPYs drive controllable aggregates and enhanced NIR phototherapeutic performance.

Smart molecules : open access·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: Evaluating Biophysical Assays for Characterizing PROTACS Ternary Complexes

Author Spotlight: Evaluating Biophysical Assays for Characterizing PROTACS Ternary Complexes

Published on: January 12, 2024

Smart bistable coordination complexes.

Xiong Xiao¹, Zong-Ju Chen¹, Russell J Varley²

¹State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures Nanjing University Nanjing China.

Smart Molecules : Open Access

|July 8, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Smart bistable coordination complexes offer two switchable states for advanced applications. This review classifies these responsive molecules by external stimuli, detailing design and uses.

Keywords:

bistable coordination chemistry dynamic bonds smart molecules stimuli responsive

More Related Videos

Measuring Motor Coordination in Mice

Measuring Motor Coordination in Mice

Published on: May 29, 2013

Dissecting Multi-protein Signaling Complexes by Bimolecular Complementation Affinity Purification BiCAP

Dissecting Multi-protein Signaling Complexes by Bimolecular Complementation Affinity Purification BiCAP

Published on: June 15, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: Evaluating Biophysical Assays for Characterizing PROTACS Ternary Complexes

Author Spotlight: Evaluating Biophysical Assays for Characterizing PROTACS Ternary Complexes

Published on: January 12, 2024

Measuring Motor Coordination in Mice

Measuring Motor Coordination in Mice

Published on: May 29, 2013

Dissecting Multi-protein Signaling Complexes by Bimolecular Complementation Affinity Purification BiCAP

Dissecting Multi-protein Signaling Complexes by Bimolecular Complementation Affinity Purification BiCAP

Published on: June 15, 2018

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Supramolecular Chemistry
Nanotechnology

Background:

Smart molecules are crucial for next-generation smart structures and devices.
Smart bistable coordination complexes possess two stable states switchable by external stimuli.
These complexes are vital for applications like sensors, data storage, and smart windows.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent research on smart bistable metal coordination complexes.
To classify these systems based on external stimuli (light, thermal, electrical, mechanical).
To describe design principles and applications of these complexes.

Main Methods:

Literature review of recent research studies.
Classification of bistable coordination systems by external stimuli.
Subdivision based on signal changes (color, fluorescence, spin state, crystalline phase).

Main Results:

Comprehensive overview of light-, thermally-, electrically-, and mechanically-responsive systems.
Detailed description of design principles for various smart bistable metal complexes.
Exploration of innovative applications in sensors, data storage, spintronics, and more.

Conclusions:

Smart bistable coordination complexes are versatile functional materials.
Diverse stimuli-responsive designs enable a wide range of applications.
Future research opportunities exist in addressing current challenges and expanding applications.