Abstract Novel 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one containing tridentate ligands were synthesised and their physicochemical properties characterised, including ionisation constants and stoichiometric titration with Fe (III). There is an urgent demand for orally active iron chelators with potential for the treatment of thalassaemia. In principle, tridentate ligands are likely to be more kinetically stable than bidentate molecules, but to date no satisfactory molecules ...
