Synthesis of Water-Soluble Chiral DOTA Lanthanide Complexes with Predominantly Twisted Square Antiprism Isomers and Circularly Polarized Luminescence

One-step cyclization of a tetraazamacrocycle 5 with 70% yield in a 25-g scale was performed. Its chiral DOTA derivatives, L4, has similar to 93% of TSAP coordination isomer in its Eu(III) and Yb(III) complexes in aqueous solution. [GdL4](5-) exhibits a high relaxivity, making it a promising and efficient MRI contrast agent. High luminescence dissymmetry factor (g(lum)) values of 0.285 (Delta J = 1) for [TbL3](-) and 0.241 (Delta J = 1) for [TbL4](5-) in buffer solutions were recorded.