Exploring the ability of the nalidixate to sensitize visible and near-infrared emitting lanthanide(III) cations.

Recently, a strong interest has been directed towards near-infrared (NIR) emitting lanthanide(III) compounds as they do possess complementary advantages in respect to organic molecules and semi-conductor nanocrystals, especially in the fields of biological analysis and imaging. To benefit from their emission, a key requirement to fulfill is the sensitization of lanthanide(III) cations with an appropriate chromophore. This condition is especially challenging to address for the lanthanide(III) cations emitting in the NIR.

Sensitive luminescent determination of DNA using the terbium(III)-difloxacin complex.

The interaction of the terbium-difloxacin complex (Tb-DFX) with DNA has been examined by using UV-vis absorption and luminescence spectroscopy. The Tb-DFX complex shows an up to 85-fold enhancement of luminescence intensity upon titration with DNA. The long decay times allow additional detection schemes like time-resolved measurements in microplate readers to enhance sensitivity by off-gating short-lived background luminescence.