Novel ruthenium(II) diamine complexes

The complex cations [Ru(C₇H₁₆N₂)(C₁₀H₁₄)Cl]⁺, [Ru(C₇H₁₆N₂)(C₆H₆)Cl]⁺, [Ru(C₉H₁₈N₂)(C₆H₆)Cl]⁺, [Ru(C₉H₁₈N₂)(C₁₀H₁₄)Cl]⁺ and [Ru(C₁₄H₁₆N₂)(C₁₀H₁₄)Cl]⁺ have been synthesised from the reaction between the ruthenium-arene complexes [with C₆H₆ (benzene) or C₁₀H₁₄ (p-cymene)] and the respective chiral diamines [C₇H₁₆N₂=(S)-(−)-2-aminomethyl-1-ethylpyrrolidine, C₉H₁₈N₂=(S)-(+)-2-(pyrrolidinylmethyl)-pyrrolidine, or C₁₄H₁₆N₂=(1R,2R)-(+)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine], isolated and characterised as chloride salts using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All complexes were fully characterised by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, ¹³C and ¹H NMR, and also found to exhibit catalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol at 50 °C (enantiomeric excesses range from ca. 25% to 60%, and conversions from ca. 30% to 50%).     

Bis(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) cyanobridge polymeric cations

Polymeric cations made up of Ru(bpy)₂ units linked by cyanide bridges can be prepared by reacting Ru(bpy)₂(CN)₂ with Ru(bpy)₂C₂O₄. The reaction yields a mixture of polymeric cations of various chain lengths. Polymeric cations of this type have emitting excited states in solution, with lifetimes in the 50–100 ns range.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence of (bis-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) acetylacetonate complexes

The synthesis, electrochemistry, spectroscopy and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of five bis-bipyridine ruthenium(II) complexes containing acetylacetonate complexes are reported. More specifically, (bpy)₂Ru(BA)₂(PF₆) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine; BA = benzoylacetonate), (bpy)₂Ru(TTFA)(PF₆) (TTFA =  thenoyltrifluoroacetonate), (bpy)₂Ru(TFPB)(PF₆) (TFPB = 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedionate), (bpy)₂Ru(TFPD)(PF₆) (TFPD =  1,1,1-trifluoro-2-4-pentanedionate), and (bpy)₂Ru(DBM)(PF₆) (DBM = dibenzoylmethide) display UV-Vis, photoluminescence, electrochemical and ECL properties characteristic of ruthenium bipyridyl complexes. All complexes display absorptions in the UV and visible regions of the spectra, with visible absorptions ranging from 350 to 700 nm, typical of metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions. Photoluminescence emission maxima are also characteristic of MLCT transitions with wavelength maxima from 575 to 600 nm depending on the nature of the acetylacetonate ligand. ECL efficiencies for the complexes (?_ecl ∼ 0.013-0.051) are much lower than a standard (?_ecl = 1) with electron-withdrawing substituents resulting in lower efficiencies.     

DNA-binding studies of mixed-ligand (ethylenediamine)ruthenium(II) complexes

A series of mixed-ligand ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [Ru(en)(2)bpy](2+) (bpy=2,2-bipyridine; 1), [Ru(en)(2)phen](2+) (phen=1,10-phenantroline; 2), [Ru(en)(2)IP](2+) (IP=imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline; 3), and [Ru(en)(2)PIP](2+) (PIP=2-phenylimidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline; 4) have been isolated and characterized by UV/VIS, IR, and (1)H-NMR spectral methods. The binding of the complexes with calf thymus DNA has been investigated by absorption, emission spectroscopy, viscosity measurements, DNA melting, and DNA photo-cleavage. The spectroscopic studies together with viscosity measurements and DNA melting studies support that complexes 1 and 2 bind to CT DNA (=calf thymus DNA) by groove mode. Complex 2 binds more avidly to CT DNA than complex 1, complexes 3 and 4 bind to CT DNA by intercalation mode, 4 binds more avidly to CT DNA than 3. Noticeably, the four complexes have been found to be efficient photosensitisers for strand scissions in plasmid DNA.     

8-Quinolinolato complexes of ruthenium(II) and (III)

Reduction of RuQ₃ (1a, Q = 8-quinolinolato) with Zn/Hg in the presence of various π-acceptor ligands in ethanol affords RuQ₂L₂ (L₂ = (dimethylsulfoxide)₂ (2); (4-picoline)₂ (3); N,N′-dimethyl-1,4-diazabuta-1,3-diene, dab (4); cyclooctadiene, COD (5); norborna-2,5-diene, nbd (6)). Compound 6 is isolated as an equimolar mixture of cis,trans (6a) and trans,cis (6b) isomers, which can be separated by column chromatography. DFT calculations have been performed on 6a and 6b. Oxidation of 3 and 6b affords the corresponding ruthenium(III) species 7 and 8, respectively. The structures of 2, 3, 4 and 6 have been determined by X-ray crystallography.     

Dinuclear bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) complexes by amide coupling of ruthenium amino acids: Synthesis and properties

Two redox-asymmetric amide-bridged bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) complexes (3a, 3b) have been prepared by amide coupling of a carboxylic acid functionalized complex with an amine substituted complex and they were fully characterized by spectroscopic analyses. They emit at 692 and 750 nm at room temperature in fluid solution with quantum yields larger than 10⁻³ and ³MLCT lifetimes of 22 ns. Ru···Ru distances were estimated from DFT models as 17.7 and 13.4 Å for 3a and 3b, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry gives two oxidation potentials for the differently substituted ruthenium sites with splittings of 0.10 and 0.23 V for 3a and 3b, respectively. Oxidation of 3b with Ce^IV ions gives the corresponding mixed-valent Ru^II-Ru^III system which is valence-localized according to NIR spectroscopic and theoretical analyses.     

Neutral ruthenium(II) complexes of phenylcyanamido ligands

Neutral Ru(II) complexes with the formula trans-[Ru(trpy*)(L₂)(pcyd)] have been prepared, where trpy* = 4,4′,4″-tri-tert-butyl-terpyridine, L₂ = 2-pyrazinecarboxylato (pca), 2-pyridinecarboxylato (pic), acetylacetonato (acac) and pcyd = 3-chlorophenylcyanamido (3-Clpcyd), 2,3-dichlorophenylcyanamido (2,3-Cl₂pcyd), 2,4,6-trichlorophenylcyanamido (2,4,6- Cl₃pcyd), 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenylcyanamido (2,3,4,5-Cl₄pcyd) and 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylcyanamido (3,4,5-(OMe)₃pcyd). Spectroelectrochemistry was performed on these Ru(II) complexes to obtain the visible absorption spectrum of the Ru(III)–cyanamide ligand-to-metal charge transfer chromophore. The Ru(III)–cyanamide metal–ligand coupling elements of these complexes were compared to other Ru(III)–cyanamide complexes.     

The ruthenium complexes cis-(dichloro)tetramineruthenium(III) chloride and cis-tetraammine(oxalato)ruthenium(III) dithionate overcome resistance inducing apoptosis on human lung carcinoma cells (A549)

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and non-small cell lung carcinoma accounts for approximately 75–85 % of all lung cancers. In the present work, we studied the antitumor activity of the compound cis-(dichloro)tetramineruthenium(III) chloride {cis-[RuCl₂(NH₃)₄]Cl} against human lung carcinoma tumor cell line A549. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the expression of MDR1 and CYP450 genes in human lung carcinoma cell lines A549 treated with cisCarboPt, cisCRu(III) and cisDRu(III). The ruthenium-based coordinated complexes presented low cytotoxic and antiproliferative activities, with high IC₅₀ values, 196 (±15.49), 472 (±20.29) and 175 (±1.41) for cisCarboPt, cisCRu(III) and cisDRu(III), respectively. The tested compounds induced apoptosis in A549 tumor cells as evidenced by caspase 3 activation, but only at high concentrations. Results also revealed that the amplification of P-gp gene is greater in A549 cells exposed to cisCarboPt and cisCRu(III) than cisDRu(III). Taken together all these results strongly demonstrate that MDR-1 over-expression in A549 cells could be associated to a MDR phenotype of these cells and moreover, it is also contributing to the platinum, and structurally-related compound, resistance in these cells. The identification and characterization of novel mechanisms of drug resistance will enable the development of a new generation of anti-cancer drugs that increase cancer sensitivity and/or represent more effective chemotherapeutic agents.     

Anti-tubercular activity of ruthenium (II) complexes with polypyridines

A series of nine polypyridyl-ruthenium (II) complexes (N-ligands = 2,2'-bipyridines; 2,2'-6',2'-terpyridines, di-alkyloxy-2,2'-6,2-bipyridine-3,3'-di-carboxylates), were tested against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT). The complex (11) showed remarkable activity against MBT as compared to other complexes, (1-10). The aquo ligand of complex (11), as opposed to other chloro and acetonitrile derivatives, appears to play a key role in the antitubercular potency of this new class of metal-based compounds.     

Reactivity of cationic carbonyl/phosphine ruthenium(II) compounds

Cis(or trans)-[RuCl₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂] react with two and one equivalents of AgBF₄ to give the recently reported [Ru(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂][BF₄]₂·CH₂Cl₂ (1) and novel [RuCl(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂][BF₄] · 1/2 CH₂Cl₂ (2), respectively. Cis-[RuCl₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂] also reacts with two equivalents of AgBF₄ in the presence of CO to give [Ru(CO)₃(PPh₃)₂][BF₄]₂ (3). Reactions of 1 and 2 with NaOMe and CO at 1 atm produce the carbomethoxy species [Ru(COOMe)₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂] (4) and [RuCl(COOMe)(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂] (5), respectively. Complex 4 can also be formed from the reaction of 3 with NaOMe and CO. Alternatively, 4 is formed from cis-[RuCl₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂] with NaOMe and CO at elevated pressure (10 atm); if these reactants are refluxed under 1 atm of CO, [Ru(CO)₃(PPh₃)₂] is the product. The reaction of [RuCl(CO)₃(PPh₃)₂][AlCl₄] with NaOMe provides an alternative route to the preparation of 5, but the product is contaminated with [RuCl₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂]. Compounds 1. 2, 4 and 5 have been characterised by IR, ¹H NMR and analysis, whilst the formulation of 3 is proposed from spectroscopic data only. This account also examines the reactivity of [Ru(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂][BF₄]₂ · CH₂Cl₂ with NaBH₄, conc. HCl, KI and, finally, MeCOONa in the presence of CO. The products of these reactions, namely cis-[RuH₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂], cis-[RuCl₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂], cis-[RuI₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂] and [Ru(OOCMe)₂(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂], have been identified by comparison of their spectra with previous literature.     

Synthesis of cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) complexes containing tethered functionalities

The reaction of [C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX]Tl (1: n = 2, X = NMe₂, OMe, CN; n = 3, X = NMe₂) with [(η⁶-C₆H₆)RuCl(μ-Cl)]₂, 2, afforded the sandwich compounds [{η⁵-C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX}Ru(η⁶-C₆H₆)]PF₆, 3, and [η⁵-C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX]₂Ru, 4. Photolytic cleavage of 3 in acetonitrile afforded the tethered products [{η⁵:κN-C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX}Ru(CH₃CN)₂]PF₆, 5.     

Quantitative proteome analysis of barley seeds using ruthenium(II)-tris-(bathophenanthroline-disulphonate) staining

This paper describes the application of the recently introduced fluorescence stain Ruthenium(II)-tris-(bathophenanthroline-disulphonate) (RuBP) on a comparative proteome analysis of two phenotypically different barley lines. We carried out an analysis of protein patterns from 2-D gels of the parental lines of the Oregon Wolfe Barley mapping population DOM and REC and stained with either the conventional colloidal Coomassie Brilliant Blue (cCBB) or with the novel RuBP solution. We wished to experimentally verify the usefulness of such a stain in evaluating the complex pattern of a seed proteome, in comparison to the previously used cCBB staining technique. To validate the efficiency of visualization by both stains, we first compared the overall number of detected protein spots. On average, 790 spots were visible by cCBB staining and 1200 spots by RuBP staining. Then, the intensity of a set of spots was assessed, and changes in relative abundance were determined using image analysis software. As expected, staining with RuBP performed better in quantitation in terms of sensitivity and dynamic range. Furthermore, spots from a cultivar-specific region in the protein map were chosen for identification to asses the gain of biological information due to the staining procedure. From this particular region, eight spots were visualized exclusively by RuBP and identification was successful for all spots, proving the ability to identify even very low abundant proteins. Performance in MS analysis was comparable for both protein stains. Proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF MS peptide mass fingerprinting. This approach was not successful for all spots, due to the restricted entry number for barley in the database. Therefore, we subsequently used LC-ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS and de novo sequencing for identification. Because only an insufficient number of proteins from barley is annotated, an EST-based identification strategy was chosen for our experiment. We wished to test whether under these limitations the application of a more sensitive stain would lead to a more advanced proteome approach. In summary, we demonstrate here that the application of RuBP as an economical but reliable and sensitive fluorescence stain is highly suitable for quantitative proteome analysis of plant seeds.     

Photoluminescence and electrogenerated chemiluminescence of a bis(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-porphyrin complex

The photoluminescence (PL) and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of [H₂(MPy3,4DMPP)Ru(bpy)₂Cl](PF₆), where H₂MPy3,4DMPP = meso-tris-3,4-dimethoxyphenyl-mono-(4-pyridyl)porphyrin and bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, are reported in acetonitrile. The compound has a complex absorbance spectrum with bands characteristic of both the porphyrin and ruthenium moieties. PL emission maxim are observed at 655 nm when excited at the maximum absorption intensity corresponding to the porphyrin Soret π → π^∗ band, and around 600 nm when excited at wavelengths corresponding to Ru(dπ)-bpy (π^∗) MLCT transition. The photoluminescence efficiency (?_em) of the 655 nm emission is 0.039 and that of the free porphyrin is 0.69 compared to at 0.042.[H₂(MPy3,4DMPP)Ru(bpy)₂Cl](PF₆) displays complex electrochemical behavior, with one electrochemically reversible Ru^II-Ru^III oxidation and two quasi-reversible waves at more cathodic potentials corresponding to the porphyrin moiety. Oxidative ECL was generated using the coreactant tri-n-propylamine (TPrA). ECL efficiencies (?_ecl) were 0.14 for [H₂(MPy3,4DMPP)Ru(bpy)₂Cl]⁺ and 0.099 for H₂MPy3,4DMPP using as the standard (?_ecl = 1). ECL intensity was linear with respect to concentration from 1 to 0.001 μM.The ECL intensity peaks at potentials corresponding to oxidation both the ruthenium and porphyrin moieties as well as TPrA, indicating that multiple pathways for formation of the excited state are possible. However, an ECL spectrum shows a band similar in energy and shape to that of the Soret emission (655 nm for the PL and 656 nm for the ECL, respectively), indicating the same excited state is formed in each experiment.     

Preparation of ruthenium(II) chloride complexes of polybasic amines

The reactions of RuCl₂[P(C₆H₅)₃]₃, RuCl₂(tmeda)₂, and RuCl₂(1,5-COD)(tmeda) with polybasic amines such as pyrazole have been studied. From the phosphine complex, a binuclear complex has been isolated in which one pyrazole has been incorporated, while reactions of the latter two with excess pyrazole lead to the replacement of a tmeda ligand by two pyrazoles.     

Benzothiazole bipyridine complexes of ruthenium(II) with cytotoxic activity

A series of benzothiazole-substituted trisbipyridine ruthenium(II) analogues {[Ru(bpy)₂(4,5′-bbtb)]²⁺, [Ru(bpy)₂(5,5′-bbtb)]²⁺ and [Ru(bpy)₂(5-mbtb)]²⁺ [bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine, bbtb is bis(benzothiazol-2-yl)-2,2′-bipyridine, 5-mbtb is 5-(benzothiazol-2-yl),5′-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine]} have been prepared and compared with the complex [Ru(bpy)₂(4,4′-bbtb)]²⁺ reported previously. From the UV–vis spectral studies, substitution at the 5-position of the bpy causes the ligand-centred transitions to occur at considerably lower energy than for those with the functionality at the 4-position, while at the same time causing the emission to be effectively quenched. However, substitution at the 4-position causes the metal-to-ligand charge transfer to occur at lower energies. Fluorescent intercalator displacement studies indicate that the doubly substituted complexes displace ethidium bromide from a range of oligonucleotides, with the greater preference shown for bulge and hairpin sequences by the Λ enantiomer. Since the complexes only show small variation in the UV–vis spectra on the introduction of calf thymus DNA and a small increase in fluorescence they do not appear to be intercalators, but appear to associate within one of the grooves. All of the reported bisbenzothiazole complexes show reasonable cytotoxicity against a range of human cancer cell lines. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Developing red-emissive ruthenium(II) complex-based luminescent probes for cellular imaging

Ruthenium(II) complexes have rich photophysical attributes, which enable novel design of responsive luminescence probes to selectively quantify biochemical analytes. In this work, we developed a systematic series of Ru(II)-bipyrindine complex derivatives, [Ru(bpy)(3-n)(DNP-bpy)(n)](PF(6))(2) (n = 1, 2, 3; bpy, 2,2'-bipyridine; DNP-bpy, 4-(4-(2,4-dinitrophenoxy)phenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine), as luminescent probes for highly selective and sensitive detection of thiophenol in aqueous solutions. The specific reaction between the probes and thiophenol triggers the cleavage of the electron acceptor group, 2,4-dinitrophenyl, eliminating the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process, so that the luminescence of on-state complexes, [Ru(bpy)(3-n)(HP-bpy)(n)](2+) (n = 1, 2, 3; HP-bpy, 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2'-bipyridine), is turned on. We found that the complex [Ru(bpy)(DNP-bpy)(2)](2+) remarkably enhanced the on-to-off contrast ratio compared to the other two (37.8 compared to 21 and 18.7). This reveals a new strategy to obtain the best Ru(II) complex luminescence probe via the most asymmetric structure. Moreover, we demonstrated the practical utility of the complex as a cell-membrane permeable probe for quantitative luminescence imaging of the dynamic intracellular process of thiophenol in living cells. The results suggest that the new probe could be a very useful tool for luminescence imaging analysis of the toxic thiophenol in intact cells.     

Unusual phenomenon in the chemistry of orthometalated ruthenium (II) complexes

Yellow cyclometalatated ruthenium (II) complexes [Ru(o-X-2-py)(MeCN)₄]PF₆ (1, X = C₆H₄ (a) or 4-MeC₆H₃ (b)) react readily with 1,10-phenanthroline (LL) in MeCN to give brownish-red species cis-[Ru(o-X-2-py)(LL)(MeCN)₂]PF₆ in high yields. The same reaction of the same complexes under the same conditions with 2,2′-bipyridine results in a significant color change from yellow to brownish-orange suggesting a formation of new species. Surprisingly, X-ray structural studies of these two complexes showed that they are structurally indistinguishable from the starting complexes 1. Referred to as complexes 4a,b, the new compounds are slightly more stable in the air though their spectral characteristics in solution are similar to 1a,b. The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is so far the only technique that indicated differences between 1 and 4.     

Enantiomeric separation of chiral ruthenium(II) complexes using capillary electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE) were applied for the enantiomeric separation of nine mononuclear tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complexes as well as the separation of all stereoisomers of a dinuclear tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complex. Nine cyclodextrin (CD) based chiral selectors were examined as run buffer additives to evaluate their effectiveness in the enantiomeric separation of tris(diimine)ruthenium(II) complexes. Seven showed enantioselectivity. Sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin (SGC), with four baseline and three partial separations, was found to be the most useful chiral selector. In CZE mode, the derivatized gamma-CDs were more effective than beta-CDs while sulfated CDs work better than carboxymethyl CDs. In MCE mode, hydroxypropyl beta-CD separated the greatest number of tris(diimine) ruthenium(II) complexes. The effects of chiral selector concentration, run buffer pH and concentration, the concentration ratio between chiral selector and other factors were investigated.