Perspectivity of bifunctional chelating agents in chemical, biological and biomedical applications

Abstract

Bifunctional chelating agents (BFCs) are molecules with dual functional units, one for conjugation and another for chelation. Their initial applications in targeted radioimaging and radiotherapy have spurred their exploration towards extensive utility in different chemical and biochemical applications during the last two decades. The designing of core structure and conjugative unit of BFCs vary by their area of application. Different chelating agents varying from simple acyclic to complex macrocyclic units have been studied and bifunctionalized. Herein, evolution of designed BFCs and their application in nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), heterogeneous catalysis, homogenous catalysis using ionic liquids, fluorescence spectroscopy, luminescence (bio)imaging, chromatography and treatment of nuclear waste have been reviewed. Further, future prospects of these molecules in various applications have been analyzed.