Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Lanthanides (Ln) have become critical components in science and industry. Their anthropogenic release into the environment and entry into the food chain poses a risk for the health of living beings. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the transfer and migration behaviour, the resulting localization and molecular characterization of Ln in geological and biological systems is crucial for a reasonable risk assessment and remediation strategies.
Trivalent europium (Eu(III)) exhibits chemical similarities to Ca(II) and excellent luminescent properties, hence it is well suited to study the interaction of Ln(III) with plants on a cellular level. Herein, we utilized chemical microscopy[1] – a combination of light microscopy and high resolution luminescence spectroscopy – in order to spatially resolve the Eu(III) species distribution in both, an imitation of a natural sample and an Eu(III)-incubated agricultural crop.

[1] M. Vogel, R. Steudtner, T. Fankhänel, J. Raff, B. Drobot, Analyst 2021, 146, 6741.