There is a range of reported values for the dissociation constant of BAPTA, though 0.2 μM appears consistently.[2] The rate constant for calcium binding is 500 μM−1 s−1.[2] The complexation process of calcium ion to BAPTA can be deconvoluted into three main processes: conformational changes of the glicol linker, nitrogen conjugation and electronic effects changes of the benzene rings.[3]
BAPTA is a component of some fluorescent calcium ion indicators such as Calcium Green and Oregon Green 488 BAPTA-1 and -2 (OGB-1, OGB2). These indicators change their fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime depending on the calcium ion concentration.[4]
^Gerig, John T.; Singh, Phirtu; Levy, Louis A.; London, Robert E. (1987). "Calcium complexation with a highly calcium selective chelator: Crystal structure of ca(CaFBAPTA) ·5H2O". Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry. 31 (2): 113–121. doi:10.1016/0162-0134(87)80056-9.