Unexpected Trends In The Stability And Dissociation Kinetics Of Lanthanide(Iii) Complexes With Cyclen-Based Ligands Across The Lanthanide Series

We report a detailed study of the thermodynamic stability and dissociation kinetics of lanthanide complexes with two ligands containing a cyclen unit, a methyl group, a picolinate arm, and two acetate pendant arms linked to two nitrogen atoms of the macrocycle in either cis (1,4-H(3)DO2APA) or trans (1,7-H(3)DO2APA) positions. The stability constants of the Gd3+ complexes with these two ligands are very similar, with log K-GdL values of 16.98 and 16.33 for the complexes of 1,4-H(3)DO2APA and 1,7-H(3)DO2APA, respectively. The stability constants of complexes with 1,4-H(3)DO2APA follow the usual trend, increasing from log K-LaL = 15.96 to log K-LuL = 19.21. However, the stability of [Ln(1,7-DO2APA)] complexes decreases from log K = 16.33 for Gd3+ to 14.24 for Lu3+. The acid-catalyzed dissociation rates of the Gd3+ complexes differ by a factor of similar to 15, with rate constants (k(1)) of 1.42 and 23.5 M(-1)s(-1) for [Gd(1,4-DO2APA)] and [Gd(1,7DO2APA)], respectively. This difference is magnified across the lanthanide series to reach a 5 orders of magnitude higher k(1) for [Yb(1,7-DO2APA)] (1475 M(-1)s(-1)) than for [Yb(1,4-DO2APA)] (5.79 x 10(-3)M(-1)s(-1)).The acid catalyzed mechanism involves the protonation of a carboxylate group, followed by a cascade of proton-transfer events that result in the protonation of a nitrogen atom of the cyclen unit. Density functional theory calculations suggest a correlation between the strength of the Ln-O-carboxylate bonds and the kinetic inertness of the complex, with stronger bonds providing more inert complexes. The H-1 NMR resonance of the coordinated water molecule in the [Yb(1,7-DO2APA)] complex at 176 ppm provides a sizable chemical exchange saturation transfer effect thanks to a slow water exchange rate of (15.9 +/- 1.6) x 10(3) s(-1).