The coordination chemistry of tripodal tetraamine ligands

The coordination chemistry of tripodal tetrammine ligands is reviewed. These ligands contain a tertiary N atom bonded to three arms, each of which contains an N-donor atom, via at least one methylene group on each arm. and generally bind to a single transition metal or lanthanide ion using all four N-donor atoms. Fifty-four such ligands. not including substituted derivatives. are described. References are given to methods for the synthesis of these, and the coordination chemistry of each ligand with both transition metals and lanthanide ions is detailed, with emphasis being placed on structural features of the resulting metal complexes. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.