The coordination chemistry of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N′,N,N′′′-tetraacetic acid (H4DOTA): Structural overview and analyses on structure-stability relationships

1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N '',N'-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) is one of the preeminent carriers of metal-based radiopharmaceutics and imaging contrast agents. This review focuses on the coordination chemistry of metal-DOTA complexes with a view to addressing the variability of structures obtained and gaining insight into its diversity. Correlations on thermodynamic stabilities with structural motifs are reported. Observed trends are analyzed with a view to providing a structure-stability relationship. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.