Practical Applications of Metal Complexes

Dear Colleagues,

A hundred years ago (in 1913), Alfred Werner was awarded by the Nobel Prize in Chemistry ‘‘in recognition of his work on the linkage of atoms in molecules by which he has thrown new light on earlier investigations and opened up new fields of research especially in inorganic chemistry”. His pioneering work was of great importance for the development of coordination chemistry. The progress of this new field has helped to blur the traditional borders between inorganic and organic chemistry through the isolation of numerous compounds consisting of metal ions and organic ligands.

Coordination compounds exert many interesting properties, which find diverse applications in many aspects of human life.

A huge number of metal complexes are used as catalysts in a variety of organic reactions (e.g., polymerizations, hydrogenations, additions, cross-coupling reactions, etc.). The use of metal complexes was also particularly important in asymmetric synthesis. Interestingly, it was also reported that some complexes with high specificity for stereoselective control of organic syntheses also exert biological activity.

Several metal complexes are in clinical use (cisplatin being the most successful example) for the treatment of various diseases, and many are currently being tested in clinical or preclinical studies. The ligands used in potential metal-based drugs may range from artificial organic molecules to natural products. The bonding of metals to ligands frequently results in synergistic activity. It is well-known that metal ions are often crucial for the activity of drugs, and are involved in their mechanisms of activity. Such interactions may be electrostatic, but the formation of coordination bonds “in situ” is also possible. Metal complexes are not only important as potential drugs; they can also be used for analytical and diagnostic purposes in biological systems and elsewhere. Their interesting optical, magnetic, radioactive, and other properties enable their use in many non-invasive and quick methods: e.g., optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET).

It is impossible to succinctly describe all applications of metal complexes (a few more suggestions are listed in the keywords); the special issue invites submissions in any area relating to the use of coordination compounds, their syntheses, and their characterizations.

Dr. Iztok Turel
Guest Editor

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed Open Access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss francs).