Production and use of in situ-modified nanoparticles

A process for preparing metal salt nanoparticles in a liquid phase reaction, comprising mixing starting materials of the nanoparticles in a synthesis mixture and growing the nanoparticles from said synthesis mixture during a synthesis period, said process further comprising adding a modifying reagent to the synthesis mixture within the synthesis period, with the modifying reagent exhibiting a first functional group for coupling to one of said nanoparticles and a second functional group for binding to a molecule other than said nanoparticles, wherein the modifying reagent is a pentaalkyl iminobis(methylenephosphono)carboxylate of the formula I:

• wherein
• R is a C1-C4-alkyl radical;
• and
• alkylene is a C1-C22-alkylene radical or C7C20-alkylenearylene radical, which can be linear or branched and can, in addition, carry, as additional substituents, halogen atoms, COOR groups, alkoxy groups, bis(dialkoxyphosphorylmethyl)amino groups or aryl radicals wherein the starting material comprise cations comprising a metal salt, and anions which are selected from the group consisting of alkaline metal halides, alkaline earth metal sulfates, phosphates, halophosphates, borates, vanadates, aluminates, silicates, tungstates, molybdates and germanates, all of which may be doped with one or more elements of the lanthanides and/or Mn, Ag, Cu, Pb, Bi, Cr, Sn or Sb.