Site-directed and robust chem. binding of the nanocrystalline surface to a substrate is of utmost importance in the fields of printable electronics, fluorescence assays and catalysis, among others. Historically, nanocrystal preparation methods have involved chem. inert ligands than are post-synthetically exchanged from the surface of the crystal-whether in colloidal solution of in the solid film-to a more useful and/or fitting mol. for the given application. The Niezgoda lab strives to utilize novel, purpose-designed ligands in the synthesis of fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles, or "quantum dots" (QDs). These new ligand mols., decorated with specific chem. functional groups, are transformed in the post-synthetic workup to new bound moieties without ever being fully removed from the QD surface environment. We have come to label this process "on-particle ligand modification" (OPLM), as it eschews the ligand exchange process that is ubiquitous in studies involving alteration of QD surface chem. In certain applications, especially those in which preservation of the colloidal nature of the QD sample is of utmost importance, OPLM procedures can offer a benefit over the traditional ligand exchange. Here, in line with the overarching theme of the Niezgoda lab, we present our preliminary findings on the preparation of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) utilizing a native terminal alkyne ligand, 10-undecynoic acid (UDYA), as the lone surface-bound mol. Further, core/shell architectures of these particles have been prepared with decent quantum yields in the visible spectrum. High-resolution TEM images with elemental mapping show well-formed and monocrystalline particles, and the presence of the alkyne on the surface is verified with FTIR and NMR spectroscopies. Finally, efforts to utilize these UDYA-coated QDs in substrate-binding applications are discussed.