Synthesis and Characterization of a Stable Copper(I) Complex for Radiopharmaceutical Applications

A highly stable copper(I) complex was obtained starting from a copper(II) salt. This compound was characterized by a combination of several analytical techniques (UV/Vis spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and was shown to present an N4Cu structure. These results were confirmed by a density functional calculations study of the binding energy and the electronic structure of model ligand and copper complexes. Preliminary tests of complexation showed a high ability of the corresponding ligand to chelate 64Cu in very diluted medium, which is of interest for developing new positron emission tomography imaging agents. The sta…