Photophysical Studies on the Interaction of Formamide and Alkyl Substituted Amides with Photoinduced Electron Transfer (PET) Based Acridinedione Dyes in Water

Interaction of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) based acridinedione dye (ADR 1) with amides like formamide, acetamide and dimethylformamide (DMF) were investigated by fluorescence spectral techniques. A fluorescence enhancement accompanied with a blue shift in the emission maximum was observed on the addition of amides to ADR 1 dye, which possess C₆H₄(p-OCH₃) in the 9th position of the basic acridinedione ring. The extent of fluorescence enhancement and the blue shift in the emission maximum of ADR 1 dye is of the order of DMF > acetamide > formamide. DMF, which is more hydrophobic and less polar, results in a higher extent of fluorescence enhancement and a larger shift in the emission maximum towards the blue region. On the addition of amides, the ADR 1 dye prefers to orient towards a more hydrophobic phase surrounded by more number of amide molecules. The fluorescence enhancement of ADR 1 dye is attributed to the suppression of PET process occurring through space. The influence of the hydrophobic nature and the polarity of the amides on the excited state properties of acridinedione dyes are elucidated by steady-state and time resolved fluorescence measurements.     

Photophysical Studies on the Interaction of Acridinedione Dyes with Universal Protein Denaturant: Guanidine Hydrochloride

Photophysical studies of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and non-PET based acridinedione dyes with guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) were carried out in water and methanol. Addition of GuHCl to photoinduced electron transfer (PET) based acridinedione dye (ADR 1) results in a fluorescence enhancement, whereas a non-PET based dye (ADR 2) shows no significant change in the fluorescence intensity and lifetime. Addition of GuHCl to ADR 1 dye in methanol results in single exponential decay behaviour, on the contrary a biexponential decay pattern was observed on the addition of GuHCl in water. Absorption and emission spectral studies of ADR 1 dye interaction with GuHCl reveals that the dye molecule is not in the protonated form in aqueous GuHCl solution, and the dye is confined to two distinguishable microenvironment in the aqueous phase. A large variation in the microenvironment around the dye molecule is created on the addition of GuHCl and this was ascertained by time-resolved area normalized emission spectroscopy (TRANES) and time-resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES). The dye molecule prefers to reside in the hydrophobic microenvironment, rather in the hydrophilic aqueous phase is well emphasized by time-resolved fluorescence lifetime studies. The mechanism of fluorescence enhancement of ADR 1 dye by GuHCl is attributed to the suppression of the PET process occuring through space.     

Spectroscopic study of interaction of styrylcyanine dye Sbt and its derivatives with bovine serum albumin

The spectral-fluorescent characteristics of styrylcyanine dye Sbt ((E)-2-(4-(dimethylamino) styryl)-3-methylbenzo[d]thiazol-3-ium iodide) and homodimers, dyes conjugated with two chromophores in aqueous solutions without and in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA), are studied. It is established that in the presence of BSA for dyes Dbt-5 and Dbt-10, an increase of the absorptivity, a slight broadening and the emergence of new band on the short wavelength range with λ_max=410 nm is observed; also hypsochromic shift of the absorption and fluorescence at 30 nm and 7 nm, respectively for the dye D-183 is observed. The intensity of the fluorescence emission fundamental band in all the studied dyes in the presence of BSA increases by 3.5 to 55 times. The binding constant (K) and number of binding sites (N) of studied dyes with BSA are determined. The dependence of the binding constants with BSA from the dipole moment of dye molecules is identified, which shows that in addition to the electrostatic attraction forces between molecules of styrylcyanine dyes with BSA, hydrophobic interactions are essential. It is shown that the aggregation of dye affects the processes of interaction of the dyes with the BSA.     

Spectroscopic studies on the interaction between disperse blue SBL and bovine serum albumin

The interaction of disperse blue SBL (DBSBL) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using fluorescence, UV-visible and far-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The results showed that the fluorescence of BSA was quenched by DBSBL through static quenching after correcting for the inner filter effects (IFE). The binding constant K_b of DBSBL with BSA at 288, 298 and 303 K were 0.116×10⁶, 3.18×10⁶ and 12.3×10⁶ L mol⁻¹, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, standard enthalpy change (ΔH⁰) and standard entropy change (ΔS⁰), for the reaction were evaluated to be 227.2 kJ mol⁻¹ and 886 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ according to the van’t Hoff equation. The above data suggested that the forces acting between DBSBL and BSA were predominantly hydrophobic interactions. The results of UV-visible absorption and far-UV CD spectroscopy also revealed that the conformation and microenvironment of BSA molecule were changed after DBSBL binding to BSA. At 288 K one binding site was present but at higher temperatures a second binding site was detected between DBSBL and the BSA molecule. The lower bound for the distance between the bound dye and the Trp residue is 2.35 nm as calculated from Forster energy transfer.     

Spectroscopic Study of the Interaction of Styrylcyanine Dyes Sbo,Sil and Their Derivatives with Bovine Serum Albumin

The spectral-luminescent characteristics of newly synthesized styrylcyanine dyes on the base of dyes Sbo ((E)-2-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-3-methylbenzo[d]oxazol-3-ium iodide) and Sil ((E)-2-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-1,3,3-trimethyl-3H-indolium perchlorate) in aqueous solutions without and in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied. It was established that the absorption spectra of dyes Tol-6, Dbo-10 and Dil-10 with increasing amount of BSA appear new bands with λ_max = 505 nm, λ_max = 512 nm and λ_max = 566 nm, respectively, whose intensity increases in proportion to the amount of albumin. The intensity of the glow of the main band of fluorescence in the presence of BSA sharply increases. The binding constant (K) and the number of binding sites (N) of studied dyes with BSA were determined. The dependence of binding constants with BSA on the dipole moment of dye molecules was determined, which indicates that besides electrostatic forces of attraction between molecules styrylcyanine dyes with BSA, hydrophobic interactions are essential.     

Study on the interaction between promethazine hydrochloride and bovine serum albumin by fluorescence spectroscopy

The interaction between promethazine hydrochloride (PMT) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in vitro was investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy and absorption spectroscopy. The fluorescence of BSA was quenched remarkably by PMT and the quenching mechanism was considered as static quenching by forming a complex. The association constants K_a and the number of binding sites n were calculated at different temperatures. The BSA-PMT binding distance was determined to be less than 8 nm, suggesting that energy transfer from BSA to PMT may occur. The thermodynamic parameters of the interaction between PMT and BSA were measured according to the van’t Hoff equation. The enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) were calculated to be −23.62 kJ mol⁻¹ and −0.10 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, which indicated that the interaction of PMT with BSA was driven mainly by van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds. The binding process was a spontaneous process in which Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) was negative. In addition, the results of synchronous fluorescence spectra and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra showed that binding of PMT with BSA can induce conformational changes in BSA.     

Spectroscopic studies on the interaction of bovine serum albumin with ginkgolic acid: Binding characteristics and structural analysis

The interaction between ginkgolic acid (GA, C15:0) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated by several spectroscopic methodologies. At first, the binding characteristics of GA and BSA are determined by fluorescence emission spectra. It is showed that GA quenches the fluorescence of BSA and the static quenching constant K_LB is 11.7891×10⁴ L mol^?1 s^?1 at 297 K. GA and BSA form a 1:1 complex with a binding constant of 9.12×10⁵ L mol^?1. GA binds to the Sudlow's drug binding site II in BSA, and the binding distance between them is calculated as 1.63 nm based on the Förster theory. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that the interaction between BSA and GA is driven mainly by hydrophobic forces. On the other hand, structural analysis indicates that GA binding results in an increased hydrophobicity around the tryptophan residues of BSA as revealed by the synchronous fluorescence spectra, and a decrease in α-helix as revealed by the far-UV CD spectra. In addition, ANS, UV–vis and RLS experiments confirmed that GA binding causes a certain structural changes in BSA. These findings provide the binding information between BSA and GA, and may be helpful for pharmacokinetics and the design of dosage forms of GA.     

Investigation on the interactions of silymarin to bovine serum albumin and lysozyme by fluorescence and absorbance

The interactions of silymarin with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LYS) were investigated in physiological buffer (pH = 7.4) by fluorescence spectroscopy and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The mechanism study indicated that silymarin could strongly quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA and LYS through static quenching procedures. At 291 K, the values of the binding constant K_A were 4.20×10⁴ and 4.71×10⁴ L mol^?1 for silymarin–BSA and silymarin–LYS, respectively. Using thermodynamic equations, the conclusion that hydrophobic and electrostatic forces played an important role in stabilizing complex of silymarin–BSA or silymarin–LYS was obtained. The effects of Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Fe³⁺ on the binding were also studied at 291 K. According to Förster’s nonradiative energy transfer theory, the distances r₀ between donor and acceptor were calculated to be 3.36 and 2.71 nm for silymarin–BSA and silymarin–LYS, respectively. Synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that the conformation of BSA and LYS were changed by silymarin.     

Investigation of three flavonoids binding to bovine serum albumin using molecular fluorescence technique

The three flavonoids including naringenin, hesperetin and apigenin binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA) at pH 7.4 was studied by fluorescence quenching, synchronous fluorescence and UV–vis absorption spectroscopic techniques. The results obtained revealed that naringenin, hesperetin and apigenin strongly quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA. The Stern–Volmer curves suggested that these quenching processes were all static quenching processes. At 291 K, the value and the order of the binding constant were K_{A (naringenin)}=4.08×10⁴<K_{A (hesperetin)}=5.40×10⁴≈K_{A (apigenin)}=5.32×10⁴ L mol^?1. The main binding force between the flavonoid and BSA was hydrophobic and electrostatic force. According to the Förster theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding distances (r₀) were obtained as 3.36, 3.47 and 3.30 nm for naringenin–BSA, hesperetin–BSA and apigenin–BSA, respectively. The effect of some common ions such as Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Ca²⁺ on the binding was also studied in detail. The competition binding was also performed. The apparent binding constant (K′_A) obtained suggested that one flavonoid had an obvious effect on the binding of another flavonoid to protein when they coexisted in BSA solution.     

Study on the conjugation mechanism of colistin sulfate with bovine serum albumin and effect of the metal ions on the reaction

Colistin sulfate (CS) can quench the fluorescence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in an aqueous solution at pH 7.40. The static fluorescence-quenching process between BSA and CS was confirmed and the binding constant, the number of binding sites and thermodynamic data for the interaction between BSA and CS were also obtained. Results showed that the order of magnitude of binding constant (K_a) was 10⁴, and the number of binding site (n) in the binary system was approximately equal to 1; electrostatic force played an important role on the conjugation reaction between BSA and CS. On the basis of the Förster theory of the resonance energy transfer, the binding distance (r) between CS and BSA was less than 7 nm. Comparing the quenching of protein fluorescence excited at 280 nm and 295 nm and from the site marker replacement experiments, it was shown that the primary CS binding site was located in the sub-domain IIA (site I) of BSA. Synchronous fluorescence spectra clearly revealed that the binding of CS with BSA can induce conformation changes in BSA. In addition, the effects of common metal ions on the binding constants of CS–BSA complex were also discussed. It was shown that, except Cu²⁺, the high metal ion concentrations improved the CS efficacy.     

Degradation of reactive,acid and basic textile dyes in the presence of ultrasound and rare earths [Lanthanum and Praseodymium]

Degradation of five textile dyes, namely Reactive Red 141 (RR 141), Reactive Blue 21 (RB 21), Acid Red 114 (AR 114), Acid Blue 113 (AB 113) and Basic Violet 16 (BV 16) in aqueous solution has been carried out with ultrasound (US) and in combination with rare earth ions (La³⁺ and Pr³⁺). Kinetic analysis of the data showed a pseudo-first order degradation reaction for all the dyes. The rate constant (k), half life (t_1/2) and the process efficiency (φ) for various processes in degradation of dyes under different experimental conditions have been calculated. The influence of concentrations of dyes (16–40 mg/L), pH (5, 7 and 9) and rare earth ion concentration (4, 12 and 20 mg/L) on the degradation of dyes have also been studied. The degradation percentage increased with increasing rare earth amount and decreased with increasing concentration of dyes. Both horn and bath type sonicators were used at 20 kHz and 250 W for degradation. The sonochemical degradation rate of dyes in the presence of rare earths was related to the type of chromophoric groups in the dye molecule. Degradation sequence of dyes was further examined through LCMS and Raman spectroscopic techniques, which confirmed the sonochemical degradation of dyes to non-toxic end products.     

Spectroscopic studies on the binding of barbital to bovine serum albumin

In this paper, the interaction between barbital and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by the method of fluorescence spectroscopy under simulative physiological conditions. Fluorescence data revealed that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by barbital was the result of the formation of BSA-barbital complex, and the effective quenching constants (K_a) were 1.468×10⁴, 1.445×10⁴ and 1.403×10⁴ M⁻¹ at 297, 303 and 310 K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) for the reaction were calculated to be −2.679 kJ mol⁻¹ and 70.76 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, according to the van’t Hoff equation. The results indicated that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions were the dominant intermolecular force in stabilizing the complex. The results of synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that binding of barbital with BSA can induce conformational changes in BSA. In addition, the effects of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ on the constants of BSA-barbital complex were also discussed.     

Interaction of the flavonoid hesperidin with bovine serum albumin: A fluorescence quenching study

The interaction between the flavonoid hesperidin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy. The results revealed that hesperidin caused the fluorescence quenching of BSA through a static quenching procedure. The hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions play a major role in stabilizing the complex. The binding site number n, and apparent binding constant K_A, corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔG^o, ΔH^o, ΔS^o at different temperatures were calculated. The distance r between donor (BSA) and acceptor (hesperidin) was obtained according to fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The effect of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, and Mn²⁺ on the binding constants between hesperidin and BSA were studied. The effect of hesperidin on the conformation of BSA was analyzed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy.     

Spectroscopic studies of 7, 8-dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin and its interaction with bovine serum albumin

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of 7, 8-dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (DHMC) in ethanol-water (1:9 v/v) solution at varying pH values were investigated . The interaction between DHMC and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence, FT-IR, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The Stern-Volmer quenching constant (K_SV), the quenching rate constant of the bimolecular reaction (K_q), the binding constant, and number of binding sites (n) of DHMC with BSA were evaluated. The results showed that DHMC quenches the fluorescence intensity of BSA through a static quenching process. Positive value of entropy change (ΔS) and negative value of enthalpy change (ΔH) of the BSA-DHMC interaction were obtained according to the van't Hoff equation. The interaction between DHMC and BSA was driven mainly by hydrophobic forces. The binding process was spontaneous and exothermic. The binding distance between the tryptophan residue in BSA and the DHMC was found to be about 2.6 nm based on the Förster theory of non-radiation energy transfer.     

Interactions between 4-(2-dimethylaminoethyloxy)-N-octadecyl-1,8-naphthalimide and serum albumins: Investigation by spectroscopic approach

A novel 4-(2-dimethylaminoethyloxy)-N-octadecyl-1,8-naphthalimide (DON) has been synthesized as a spectrofluorimetric probe for the determination of proteins. Photophysics of DON in different solvents has been delineated in this paper. Progressive redshift with polarity of solvents in emission and absorption spectra hints at intramolecular charge transfer. The interactions of DON with serum albumins (i.e., human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) were studied by fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. Fluorescence data revealed that the quenching of HSA/BSA by DON were static quenching and the DON–HSA/BSA complexes were formed. The binding constant (K_b) for HSA and was found to be 8.44×10^?4 and 60.26×10^?4 M^?1 and the number of binding sites (n) were 1.00 and 1.40, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH and ΔS, for the DON–HSA system was calculated to be ?14.83 kJ mol^?1 and 23.61 J mol^?1 K^?1, indicating the hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were the dominant intermolecular force. ΔH and ΔS for the binding of DON with BSA was ?60.08 kJ mol^?1 and ?90.7441 mol^?1 K^?1, suggesting the hydrogen bonds and van der Waals force played the main role in the interaction. The results of displacement experiments showed that DON bound HSA/BSA occurred at the Trp-214 proximity, located in subdomain IIA of the serum albumin structure (the warfarin binding pocket). The effect of DON on the conformation of HSA was also analyzed by synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra. The fluorescence of DON could be quenched by HSA, based on which, a fluorometric method for the determination of microamount protein using DON in the medium of HCl?Tris buffer solution (pH=7.4) was developed. The linear range of the calibration curves was 0.1–10.0 μM for HSA, 0.1–11.2 μM for BSA and 0.2–9.7 μM for egg albumin (EA). The detection limit (3σ) for HSA was 1.12×10^?10 M, for BSA it was 0.92×10^?10 M and for EA it was 4.33×10^?10 M. The effect of metal cations on the fluorescence spectra of DON in ethanol was also investigated. The method has been applied to detect the total proteins in human serum samples and the results were in good agreement with those reported by the hospital.     

Singlet and Triplet State Properties and Singlet Oxygen Yield of an Amino-Acyl-Quinoxalinone Yellow Dye

Amino-acyl-quinoxalinone yellow dyes are cyclised analogues of the yellow azomethine dyes developed for, and still used in, silver halide colour photography. Unlike image azomethine dyes, which are rapidly deactivated in their excited states by torsion about the azomethine bond, amino-acyl-quinoxalinone dyes have an interesting photophysics because torsion is not possible due to their cyclised structure. We report results from studies on singlet and triplet state properties, and singlet oxygen yields, of the yellow dye, 7-diethylamino-3-(2,2-dimethyl-propionyl)-5-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-quinoxalin-2-one, in polar and nonpolar solvents. The dye photophysics is characterised by a weak fluorescence, with a solvent dependent emission yield (Φ_F?≈?0.002–0.004), and short singlet state lifetime (τ_expt?≈?20–50 ps), both increasing by a factor of ≈2 in going from polar acetonitrile to non-polar dioxane as solvent. DFT ZINDO calculations show a transition involving significant electron transfer from the diethyl-amino group into the carbonyl region of the molecule. In solution, in the presence of oxygen, the triplet state decays almost exclusively by oxygen quenching, and singlet oxygen is produced in high yield (Φ_??≈?0.5–0.55). The triplet state absorbs across the 450–750 nm region with maxima around 480 and 650 nm, and moderate molar absorption coefficients (ca. 6000–8000 M^?1 cm^?1). In a glass at 77 K, triplet decay gives a red phosphorescence, with λ_max?≈?640–650 nm, and a ?≈?0.25 s lifetime. If singlet oxygen yields are a good indication of triplet yields, then internal conversion and intersystem crossing occur with roughly equal efficiency.

     

An Ensemble and Single-molecule Fluorescence Spectroscopy Investigation of Calcium Green 1, a Calcium-ion Sensor

The calcium-ion indicator dye, Calcium Green 1 (CG-1), has been characterized using a combination of ensemble and single-molecule optical spectroscopy measurements. In terms of ensemble measurements, CG-1 demonstrated a strong increase in fluorescence emission as a function of increasing [Ca²⁺]. This was accompanied by a change in the relative proportions of two chemical forms of the dye, each with a different fluorescence lifetime, which were found to co-exist in solution. From single-molecule fluorescence measurements, it was found that the fluorescence intensity and photobleaching time (on-time) of each CG-1 molecule was invariant with [Ca²⁺] and that changes in ensemble fluorescence intensity simply correlates with the number of fluorescent molecules in solution. These results are compared with that of the related system, Calcium Green 2 (CG-2), and the mechanisms of operation of these two indicator dyes are discussed.     

A turn-on fluorescent anion receptor based on N,N′-di-β-naphthyl-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-diamide

A simple turn-on fluorescent anion chemosensor with amide moiety as binding sites was designed, synthesized and characterized. Binding ability of the receptor 1 with anions was evaluated through the fluorescence titration in DMSO and the ¹H NMR titration in DMSO-d₆ and coordination of anions to 1 led to a visible enhancement in fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence enhancement could be explained on the basis of two signaling transduction mechanisms: (1) inhibition of a photoinduced electronic transfer (PET) mechanism and (2) anion-induced increase of the rigidity of the host molecules. In addition, the results of ¹H NMR titrations suggested that a host-guest hydrogen-bonding complex with an association constant K_ass=7379 mol⁻¹ L was formed between 1 and F⁻ and the mode of host-guest interactions was provided.     

Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction of Acid Yellow With Bovine Serum Albumin

Azo dyes, which are common in the environment, can be toxic to various organisms. In order to determine the molecular mechanism of acid yellow 11(AY) toxicity, we studied the effect of AY exposure to the common protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) by several spectroscopic techniques including fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV) and circular dichroism (CD). It could be concluded from the fluorescence spectra that the quenching effect of BSA by AY was mainly due to complex formation which was unrelated to the absorption of AY. The enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) were found to be −21.94 kJ/mol and 30.04 Jmol^-1 K^-1, respectively. The results confirm that electrostatic attraction was the predominant intermolecular force between BSA and AY. Furthermore, the binding distance (r) between AY and the inner tryptophan residue of BSA was determined to be 3.541 nm on the basis of Forster theory of non-radiative energy transfer. In addition, the conformational changes of BSA in the presence of AY were also analyzed by UV and CD. These results indicated that AY could interact with BSA by complex formation, which also affected the structure of BSA.     

Binding of rare earth metal complexes with an ofloxacin derivative to bovine serum albumin and its effect on the conformation of protein

The water-soluble Pr (Ⅲ) and Nd (Ⅲ) complexes with an ofloxacin derivative have been prepared and characterized. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed that the Pr (III) and Nd (III) complexes have the similar molecular structure. Under physiological pH condition, the effects of [PrL(NO₃)₂(CH₃OH)](NO₃) and [NdL(NO₃)₂(CH₃OH)](NO₃) on bovine serum albumin (BSA) were examined using fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with UV-vis absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The result reveals that the quenching mechanism of fluorescence of BSA by two complexes is a static quenching process and the number of binding sites is about 1 for both. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH=−14.52 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔS=56.54 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ for [PrL(NO₃)₂(CH₃OH)](NO₃) and ΔH=−24.63 kJ mol⁻¹, ΔS=22.07 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ for [NdL(NO₃)₂(CH₃OH)](NO₃)) indicate that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions are the main binding force in the complexes-BSA system. The binding average distance between complexes and BSA was obtained on the basis of Förster's theory. In addition, it was proved by the CD spectra that the BSA secondary structure was changed in the presence of complexes in an aqueous solution.