Luminescent lanthanide complexes, especially those incorporating Tb3+ or Eu3+, emit characteristic luminescence with a very long lifetime (up to a few milliseconds in water).[1] The ligands of these complexes can be divided into two parts: an antenna that transfers energy to the lanthanide ion when excited, and a chelator that strongly binds to the ion, protecting it from nonradiative deactivation by solvent molecules. These complexes permit ...
