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Metal complexes synthesis and properties
Research Guide
What is Metal complexes synthesis and properties?
Metal complexes synthesis and properties is the research area that designs, prepares, and characterizes coordination compounds—especially platinum-group and other transition-metal complexes—while relating their structures and physicochemical behaviors to biological interactions and therapeutic performance in oncology.
The literature cluster comprises 142,425 works focused on platinum-based cancer chemotherapy, including mechanisms of action, resistance, and toxicity, alongside the development of new metal complexes and their DNA interactions. "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014) is a highly cited mechanistic anchor for how a prototypical platinum drug exerts anticancer effects. Foundational coordination-chemistry structure–property frameworks used across this area include "Relationships between the carbon-oxygen stretching frequencies of carboxylato complexes and the type of carboxylate coordination" (1980) and the crystallographic/spectroscopic study "Synthesis, structure, and spectroscopic properties of copper(II) compounds containing nitrogen–sulphur donor ligands; the crystal and molecular structure of aqua[1,7-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2′-yl)-2,6-dithiaheptane]copper(II) perchlorate" (1984).
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Platinum Drug Resistance Mechanisms
This sub-topic dissects DNA repair pathways, efflux transporters, and glutathione conjugation conferring cisplatin resistance in cancers. Researchers employ genomics and proteomics in resistant cell lines.
Cisplatin DNA Adduct Formation
This sub-topic characterizes intrastrand and interstrand crosslinks, repair kinetics, and transcription blockage by cisplatin. Researchers use mass spectrometry and NMR for structural elucidation.
Ruthenium Anticancer Complexes
This sub-topic synthesizes and evaluates Ru(II/III) compounds like NAMI-A and KP1019 for metastasis inhibition and transferrin-mediated uptake. Researchers assess redox activation and protein interactions.
Metal Complex Cellular Uptake
This sub-topic investigates transporter-mediated influx, aquation kinetics, and mitochondrial accumulation of anticancer metallodrugs. Researchers use fluorescence microscopy and ICP-MS quantification.
Copper Complexes in Cancer Therapy
This sub-topic explores Cu(II) thiosemicarbazone and phenanthroline complexes disrupting angiogenesis and ROS homeostasis. Researchers correlate structure-activity relationships with in vivo antitumor activity.
Why It Matters
Metal-complex synthesis and property characterization directly affects how anticancer agents are designed, formulated, and assessed for efficacy and safety. Dasari and Tchounwou’s "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014) consolidates mechanistic knowledge that guides the design of next-generation platinum and non-platinum complexes intended to preserve anticancer activity while addressing resistance and toxicity. Kèlland’s "The resurgence of platinum-based cancer chemotherapy" (2007) frames why platinum drugs remain central to oncology and why new coordination compounds continue to be pursued as therapeutics. Delivery and biodistribution constraints are also central: Maeda et al.’s "Tumor vascular permeability and the EPR effect in macromolecular therapeutics: a review" (2000) explains how tumor vascular permeability can be leveraged for macromolecular or carrier-based delivery strategies, which is relevant when metal complexes are incorporated into larger constructs. Materials platforms can further change pharmacology and local exposure; Horcajada et al.’s "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011) surveys MOFs as biomedical carriers, providing a concrete route by which metal-containing frameworks can be engineered for biomedical use. Quantitative evaluation of combination regimens that include metal-based drugs is supported by Chou’s "Theoretical Basis, Experimental Design, and Computerized Simulation of Synergism and Antagonism in Drug Combination Studies" (2006), which is widely used to distinguish synergy from antagonism in multi-drug oncology studies.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
Start with Dasari and Tchounwou’s "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014) because it provides the clearest oncology-centered map from coordination chemistry to cellular mechanism, resistance, and toxicity for a canonical metal drug.
Key Papers Explained
Mechanistic motivation begins with "The resurgence of platinum-based cancer chemotherapy" (2007), which explains why platinum drugs remain central and why new complexes are sought. "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014) then links platinum coordination chemistry to biological outcomes, giving a template for evaluating new metal complexes. Core structure–property tools that generalize beyond platinum include "Relationships between the carbon-oxygen stretching frequencies of carboxylato complexes and the type of carboxylate coordination" (1980) and Addison et al.’s "Synthesis, structure, and spectroscopic properties of copper(II) compounds containing nitrogen–sulphur donor ligands; the crystal and molecular structure of aqua[1,7-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2′-yl)-2,6-dithiaheptane]copper(II) perchlorate" (1984), which exemplify how coordination environment controls stability and spectra. Delivery and formulation considerations connect via "Tumor vascular permeability and the EPR effect in macromolecular therapeutics: a review" (2000), "Introduction and General Overview of Cyclodextrin Chemistry" (1998), and "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011), which together span tumor transport principles, host–guest formulation chemistry, and porous-carrier architectures. Quantitative evaluation of multi-agent regimens is anchored by "Theoretical Basis, Experimental Design, and Computerized Simulation of Synergism and Antagonism in Drug Combination Studies" (2006).
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Advanced work often combines (i) mechanistic benchmarking against the cisplatin paradigm in "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014), (ii) tunable delivery informed by "Tumor vascular permeability and the EPR effect in macromolecular therapeutics: a review" (2000), and (iii) platform-based control of exposure and release as discussed in "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011). A practical frontier is integrating rigorous structure–property inference (e.g., "Relationships between the carbon-oxygen stretching frequencies of carboxylato complexes and the type of carboxylate coordination" (1980)) with standardized combination-therapy evaluation ("Theoretical Basis, Experimental Design, and Computerized Simulation of Synergism and Antagonism in Drug Combination Studies" (2006)) to prioritize candidates for translational testing.
Papers at a Glance
In the News
How generative AI can help scientists synthesize complex ...
MIT researchers’ DiffSyn model offers recipes for synthesizing new materials, enabling faster experimentation and a shorter journey from hypothesis to use. Zach Winn|MIT News Publication Date: Febr...
Scientists uncover a hidden power in a common metal
# Scientists uncover a hidden power in a common metal ## A breakthrough manganese complex brings cheap, sustainable, and highly efficient photochemistry within reach.
New tool harnesses AI to navigate expanding world of metal ...
The main funder is the National Research Council of Canada’s Materials for Clean Fuels Challenge Program, and U of T’s Acceleration Consortium and Data Science Institute.
Common metal, unusual power: Manganese complex sets ...
has developed a novel metal complex based on the abundant and inexpensive manganese .
High-throughput triazole-based combinatorial click ...
Transition metal complexes have found many applications in the modern world ranging from catalysts, luminescent materials to bioactive compounds and more. However, methods for the systematic synthe...
Code & Tools
MACE is an open source toolkit for the automated screening and discovery of metal complexes. MACE is developed by Ivan Chernyshov as part of the Ev...
A curated list of the most useful datasets in**materials science**and**chemistry**for training**machine learning**and**AI foundation models**. This...
About This repository contains the code and data for ARCADE (Automated Rational CAtalyst DEsign), a fully automated and interpretable framework for...
*Projects that focus on enabling active learning, iterative learning schemes for atomistic ML.*
MOF-ChemUnity is a knowledge graph which combines the available computational information for MOFs and the experimental information within literatu...
Recent Preprints
Significance of Nano Transition Metal Complexes as ...
Metal complexes have been utilized in medicine for thousands of years in various ways, with positive benefits. They are well recognized as delivery and diagnostic agents with anti-infective, antimi...
A manganese(I) complex with a 190 ns metal-to-ligand charge transfer lifetime
Precious metal complex photosensitizers, e.g. based on ruthenium(II) or iridium(III) with 4d6 and 5d6 electron configuration, respectively, possess strong visible light absorbance and long triplet ...
Ligand substituents modulate excited-state lifetime and energy-transfer reactivity in Cu(i) photosensitizers supported by salicylaldimine and isocyanide ligands
ligand design in tuning the excited-state properties of this new class of copper-based photosensitizers. Results and discussion Synthesis The synthesis of the three-coordinate Cu(I) complexes Cu1–C...
Light-mediated CO release from a tricarbonyl manganese(i) complex with a bidentate quinoxaline ligand
2. Results and discussion 2.1. Synthesis and structural characterization Scheme 1 illustrates that reacting o-phenylene diamine with 2- acetylpyridine in methanol, acidied with drops of glacial ac...
Synthesis and coordination behaviour of a protic phosphinoferrocene amidine
A phosphinoferrocene amidine Ph2PfcNQCHNHiPr (1; fc = ferrocene-1,10-diyl) has been synthesised and studied as a new P,N-hybrid donor in group 10 metal complexes. Thus, reactions with metal dichlor...
Latest Developments
Recent developments in metal complexes synthesis and properties research include the advancement of solvent-free synthesis methods for Schiff base metal complexes (IntechOpen) and the use of robotic systems capable of synthesizing hundreds of metal complexes for drug discovery, such as antibiotics (phys.org). Additionally, AI models like DiffSyn are being developed to suggest new material syntheses, accelerating the discovery process (MIT News). Recent research also reports the synthesis of novel high-valent lanthanide complexes, such as praseodymium in the +5 oxidation state, and new intermetallic complexes with unique electronic structures (Nature, Nature Communications).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What are “metal complexes” in the context of oncology drug research?
In oncology-focused coordination chemistry, metal complexes are coordination compounds whose biological activity depends on metal–ligand structure and reactivity, as exemplified by platinum drugs discussed in "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014). This topic area also includes non-platinum complexes and carrier constructs, as surveyed in "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011).
How are structure and bonding used to predict or rationalize metal-complex properties?
Coordination mode and ligand binding motifs are often inferred from spectroscopic and structural correlations, such as those compiled in "Relationships between the carbon-oxygen stretching frequencies of carboxylato complexes and the type of carboxylate coordination" (1980). Detailed structure–spectroscopy relationships for specific coordination environments are illustrated by "Synthesis, structure, and spectroscopic properties of copper(II) compounds containing nitrogen–sulphur donor ligands; the crystal and molecular structure of aqua[1,7-bis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2′-yl)-2,6-dithiaheptane]copper(II) perchlorate" (1984).
How do researchers connect metal complexes to DNA interactions and DNA-focused assays?
DNA interaction is central to platinum chemotherapy, and mechanistic framing is summarized in "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014). DNA quantification and characterization methods frequently used alongside metal–DNA studies include "A simple, rapid, and sensitive DNA assay procedure" (1980) and "Determination of the base composition of deoxyribonucleic acid from its thermal denaturation temperature" (1962).
Which concepts help explain why delivery systems can change the performance of metal-based therapeutics?
Tumor-selective accumulation and permeability concepts are reviewed in "Tumor vascular permeability and the EPR effect in macromolecular therapeutics: a review" (2000), providing a rationale for macromolecular or carrier-associated delivery strategies. Host–guest chemistry used in formulation and solubilization is summarized in "Introduction and General Overview of Cyclodextrin Chemistry" (1998), and biomedical carrier architectures are discussed in "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011).
How is synergy or antagonism evaluated when metal drugs are combined with other anticancer agents?
Combination effects are commonly quantified using the framework in "Theoretical Basis, Experimental Design, and Computerized Simulation of Synergism and Antagonism in Drug Combination Studies" (2006). That framework supports standardized experimental design and interpretation of whether a metal-based agent enhances or diminishes the effect of a partner drug.
What is the current state of platinum-based chemotherapy within this broader metal-complex field?
Platinum drugs remain a central reference point for mechanism, resistance, and toxicity discussions, as synthesized in "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014). The continued clinical and research relevance of platinum chemotherapy is contextualized in "The resurgence of platinum-based cancer chemotherapy" (2007).
Open Research Questions
- ? Which specific coordination-chemistry design rules best predict when a new metal complex will retain anticancer activity while reducing the resistance and toxicity patterns emphasized in "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" (2014)?
- ? How can carrier strategies grounded in the permeability principles reviewed in "Tumor vascular permeability and the EPR effect in macromolecular therapeutics: a review" (2000) be systematically matched to metal-complex speciation and stability to improve tumor exposure without increasing off-target burden?
- ? Which measurable structural or spectroscopic descriptors—such as those discussed in "Relationships between the carbon-oxygen stretching frequencies of carboxylato complexes and the type of carboxylate coordination" (1980)—most reliably translate across different metal centers to predict biological reactivity relevant to oncology?
- ? How can MOF-based biomedical platforms surveyed in "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011) be engineered to control metal release or presentation while maintaining biocompatibility and reproducibility needed for therapeutic development?
- ? Which experimental designs and statistical criteria from "Theoretical Basis, Experimental Design, and Computerized Simulation of Synergism and Antagonism in Drug Combination Studies" (2006) are most robust when one agent is a reactive metal complex whose speciation changes over time in biological media?
Recent Trends
Within this topic’s 142,425-work corpus, highly cited anchors emphasize a shift from single-compound description toward integrated pipelines that connect coordination structure, mechanism, delivery, and evaluation.
Mechanistic consolidation around platinum drugs is represented by "Cisplatin in cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms of action" and the clinical/research framing in "The resurgence of platinum-based cancer chemotherapy" (2007).
2014In parallel, delivery-centric thinking is reinforced by "Tumor vascular permeability and the EPR effect in macromolecular therapeutics: a review" , while materials-enabled approaches are captured by "Metal–Organic Frameworks in Biomedicine" (2011).
2000Methodologically, quantitative combination analysis from "Theoretical Basis, Experimental Design, and Computerized Simulation of Synergism and Antagonism in Drug Combination Studies" increasingly functions as a common language for assessing whether metal complexes add value in multi-agent oncology settings.
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