Mechanism of action and evaluation of ratiometric probes for uric acid using lanthanide complexes with tetraazatriphenylene sensitisers

Abstract

A series of new ligands has been prepared that incorporate electron-poor aromatic moieties (dpqMe₂ and dpqPh₂ chromophores) into tetraazacyclododecane or triazacyclononane based complex structures, and the time-dependent photophysical properties of their Eu(III) and Tb(III) complexes evaluated for the selective and rapid ratiometric analysis of urate in diluted serum solution, together with mechanistic studies probing the nature of the intermediate exciplex and the excited state dynamics using transient absorption spectroscopy.