Equilibrium, kinetic and structural properties of gallium(III) and some divalent metal complexes formed with the new DATAm and DATA5m ligands.

The development of 68Ge/68Ga generators has made the positron-emitting 68Ga isotope widely accessible and raised interest in new chelate complexes of Ga3+. The hexadentate 1,4-di(acetate)-6-methyl[amino(methyl)acetate]perhydro-1,4-diazepane (DATAm) ligand and its bifunctional analogue, 1,4-di(acetate)-6-pentanoic acid[amino(methyl)acetate]perhydro-1,4-diazepane (DATA5m), rapidly form complexes with 68Ga in high radiochemical yield. The stability constants of DATAm and DATA5m complexes formed with Ga3+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Mn2+ and Ca2+ have been determined by using pH potentiometry, spectrophotometry (Cu2+) and 1H and 71Ga NMR spectroscopy (Ga3+). The stability constants of Ga(DATAm) and Ga(DATA5m) complexes are slightly higher than those of Ga(AAZTA). The species distribution calculations indicated the predominance of Ga(L)OH mixed-hydroxo complexes at physiological pH. The 1H and 71Ga NMR spectroscopy studies provided information about the coordinated functional groups of ligands and on the kinetics of exchange between the Ga(L) and Ga(L)OH complexes. The transmetalation reactions between the Ga(L) complexes and Cu2+ citrate (6<pH