Spectroscopic characterisation of hybrid peptide-organic lanthanide complexes
Supervisor: Dr Drew Thomson
School: Chemistry
Description:
This project builds on recent research within the Thomson group in which designed self-assembling peptides induce chirality in a covalently attached coordination system. A trimeric alpha helical coiled coil was used to bring together three 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) chelating groups in such a way that one handedness of complex was favoured over the other. This was demonstrated for Ga3+ complexes. This project will extend these studies to chiral complexes of lanthanide (Ln) ions in collaboration with the Farnaby group. We will explore Ln binding dynamics firstly with the two brightest and most widely applied Ln ions in bio-imaging, europium (Eu, red) and terbium (Tb, green). Eu and Tb are neighbouring in size to gadolinium (Gd, MRI contrast agent) and act as surrogates for Gd, which is spectroscopically silent and challenging to study directly. We will study by NMR, UV-vis, photoluminescence (PL) how spectroscopic behaviour of Ln coiled coil complexes can be modulated by designed peptide units. These peptides have already been synthesised and purified by another researcher in the Thomson group, and are therefore available to carry out studies on their lanthanide binding properties. Ln starting materials are available from the Farnaby group. This project has been designed around the interests and training goals of the prospective summer student Abbie Spiers, and will be co-supervised by Dr Drew Thomson and Dr Joy Farnaby, with support from Dr Gordon Hedley and Dr William Peveler.
The aims of this project are:
1) To investigate lanthanide complex formation by 8-HQ peptide materials with Eu, Tb, and Yb
2) To study the consequences of lanthanide binding on peptide conformation
3) To study the spectroscopic properties of lanthanide complexes
4) To evaluate the potential of Ln 8-HQ for application in bio-imaging