We have prepared and characterized several lanthanide ion complexes of multidentate ligands or chelates in
an effort to develop new luminescent reporters that will be immune to autofluorescence and photobleaching.
Our study has involved the characterization of various chelates of Eu, Er, and Tm with respect to relative
luminescent efficiency and excited state lifetimes. Included in the list of chelates studied are TTFA, EDTA,
DPA, DOTA and DTPA as well as mixed and double chelates. In addition to determining the relative
efficiencies and luminescence lifetimes of the lanthanide chelates, we have explored various excitation
mechanisms and determined optimum excitation wavelengths. This paper will address the various hurdles
encountered in the development of this new class of reporters.
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