Development of long-lifetime metal-ligand probes for biophysics and cellular imaging

Metal-ligand complexes containing ruthenium, osmium, or rhenium display a high photostability, with polarized emission and decay times from 100 ns to 100 Μs. Such probes have considerable potential in biophysics, clinical chemistry, and fluorescence microscopy. In this review we sumrecent developments from this laboratory on the spectral properties of conjugatable metalligand complexes. We also suggest how improved probes can be developed based on the selection of organic ligands.     

Labeling of cytosine residues with biliproteins for use as fluorescent DNA probes

The fluorescent properties of biliproteins (B-phycoerythrin, BPE; C-phycocyanin, CPC and allophycocyanin, APC) have been utilized as labels of nucleic acids to detect hybridization by means of steady-state fluorescence anisotropy in a homogeneous aqueous solution of model system in which poly(C) and poly(I) are, respectively, the probe and target sequences. An easy method to obtain biliprotein-DNA conjugates by a two-stage procedure is described. The first stage was a modification of the cytosine amino group of poly(C) at the N⁴ position which then reacted with N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP) to obtain poly(C)-bound 2-pyridyl disulfide. In the second stage biliproteins were directly reacted with SPDP to obtain biliprotein-bound 2-pyridyl disulfide, dithiotreitol was added for reduction to biliprotein-bound thiol and was then mixed with the poly(C)-bound 2-pyridyl disulfide to obtain the biliprotein-poly(C) conjugate. The three biliproteins studied bind to nucleic acids without noticeable change of their spectral properties (absorption, fluorescence efficiency and fluorescence lifetime). Consequently, our labeling methodology can be applied to obtain any type of biliprotein-labeled nucleic acid probe. The increase of the steady-state fluorescence anisotropy from biliprotein-poly(C) upon hybridization with poly(I) can be used to readily detect the hybridization with the target poly(I) in a sample without having to separate free and bound labeled probes. The small decreases in lifetime displayed by the biliprotein-poly(C) conjugates upon hybridization are not sufficient to explain the steady-state anisotropy increase. Apparently, the rotational motion of the overall macrostructure is principally responsible for the increase in anisotropy. The greater fluorescence efficiency and lifetime from BPE with respect to those from CPC or APC allows us recommend that protein as the most suitable label.     

Syntheses,X‐ray crystal structures,and emission properties of protonated tripyridyltriazines and their ruthenium(II) complexes

A series of metal‐free compounds, ie, planar triprotonated triazine, triazineH₃Cl(PF₆)₂ ( 1 ), planar triprotonated triazineH₃Br(PF₆)₂ ( 2 ), and nonplanar monoprotonated triazineHPF₆ ( 3 ), were prepared. Abbreviations used are triazine = tri‐2‐pyridyltriazine. Ruthenium complexes [RuCl(bpy)(L)](PF₆), [RuCl(bpy)(L)](PF₆)₂, and [Ru(L)₂](PF₆)₂ were also prepared, where bpy is 2,2′‐bipyridine and L's are triazine ( 4 ) and monoprotonated triazine ( 5 ), respectively. Ruthenium complexes [Ru(triazine)₂](PF₆)₂ ( 6 ) were also prepared and crystallized. The X‐ray crystal structures of the 3 compounds 1 , 2 , and 3 and the complex 6 were determined. They were also characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, UV‐vis spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations.     

Colorimetric DNA detection of transgenic plants using gold nanoparticles functionalized with L-shaped DNA probes

In this study, a DNA colorimetric detection system based on gold nanoparticles functionalized with L-shaped DNA probes was prepared and evaluated. We investigated the hybridization efficiency of the L-shaped probes and studied the effect of nanoparticle size and the L-shaped DNA probe length on the performance of the as-prepared system. Probes were attached to the surface of gold nanoparticles using an adenine sequence. An optimal sequence of 35S rRNA gene promoter from the cauliflower mosaic virus, which is frequently used in the development of transgenic plants, and the two complementary ends of this gene were employed as model target strands and probe molecules, respectively. The spectrophotometric properties of the as-prepared systems indicated that the large NPs show better changes in the absorption spectrum and consequently present a better performance. The results of this study revealed that the probe/Au-NPs prepared using a vertical spacer containing 5 thymine oligonucleotides exhibited a stronger spectrophotometric response in comparison to that of larger probes. These results in general indicate the suitable performance of the L-shaped DNA probe-functionalized Au-NPs, and in particular emphasize the important role of the gold nanoparticle size and length of the DNA probes in enhancing the performance of such a system.     

The key Cl− ligand for metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer in mononuclear terpyridine ruthenium(II) and binuclear ruthenium(II) tetrapyridylpyrazine complexes

Electronic structures of binuclear ruthenium complexes [Ru₂(terpy)₂(tppz)]⁴⁺ ( 1A ) and [Ru₂Cl₂(L)₂(tppz)]²⁺ {L = bpy ( 2A ), phen ( 3A ), and dpphen ( 4A )} were studied by density functional theory calculations. Abbreviations of the ligands (Ls) are bpy = 2,2′‐bipyridine, phen = 1,10‐phenanthroline, dpphen = 4,7‐diphenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline, terpy = 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine, and tppz = tetrakis(2‐pyridyl)pyrazine. Their mononuclear reference complexes [Ru(terpy)₂]²⁺ ( 1B ) and [RuClL(terpy)]⁺ {L = bpy ( 2B ), phen ( 3B ), and dpphen ( 4B )} were also examined. Geometries of these mononuclear and binuclear Ru(II) complexes were fully optimized. Their geometric parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The binuclear complexes were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammograms. Hexafluorophosphate salts of binuclear ruthenium complexes of 3A and 4A were newly prepared. The crystal structure of binuclear complex 1A (PF₆)₄ was also determined. Orbital interactions were analyzed to characterize the metal‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer (MLCT) states in these complexes. The Cl^? ligand works to raise the orbital energy of the metal lone pair, which leads to the low MLCT state. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Study on the Spectra Characterization of Ruthenium(Ii) Complexes

Abstract

A series of Ru(II) complexes have been synthesized, and their electronic spectra and NMR spectroscopy properties were characterized. the chemical shifts of aromatic protons of [Ru(bpy)₃] (PF₆)₂, [Ru(phen)₃](ClO₄)₂ and [Ru(bqdi)₃](PF₆) move downfield, but the resonance peaks of cis-Ru(bpy)₂Cl₂ shift upfield. Within the visible spectra of the ruthenium(II) complexes appear a relatively high oscillator strength which is referred to as the π(Ru)→? (ligands) transition.     

Methylene blue as a DNA probe for a comparative study of Cd, Pb and Cr ions binding to calf thymus DNA

Methylene blue (MB) was developed as a sensitive DNA probe for a comparative study of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions binding with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA). The fluorescence intensity of the MB-ctDNA system increased dramatically when heavy metal ions (Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions) were added, which indicated that some of the bound MB molecules were released from the ctDNA base pairs. To compare the binding affinity of these three different heavy metal ions with ctDNA, the relationships between the fluorescence intensity of the MB-ctDNA-M (Metal ions) system and the concentration ratio of [M]/[DNA(p)] were investigated. The results showed that the order of the binding affinity of heavy metal ions with ctDNA had the following sequence: Cr³⁺> Cd²⁺>Pb²⁺. This order was further proved by the effects of heavy metal ions on the number of MB bound to ctDNA, the measurements of binding constants of these heavy metal ions to ctDNA, and the effects of heavy metal ions on the absorption of the MB-ctDNA system. In addition, the interaction mechanisms of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions with ctDNA were also discussed in detail. These results indicated that their interaction mechanisms are related to the concentration ratios of heavy metal ions to DNA.     

An atomic force microscopy study of DNA hairpin probes monolabelled with gold nanoparticle: Grafting and hybridization on oxide thin films

First and original results are reported regarding the surface evolution of two kinds of oxide film after covalent grafting and hybridization of hairpin oligonucleotide probes. These hairpin probes were monolabelled with a 1.4 nm gold nanoparticle. One kind of oxide film was rough Sb doped SnO₂ oxide film and the other kind was smooth SiO₂ film. Same process of covalent grafting, involving a silanization step, was performed on both oxide surfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the evolution of each oxide surface after different steps of the process: functionalization, probe grafting and hybridization. In the case of rough SnO₂ films, a slight decrease of the roughness was observed after each step whereas in the case of smooth SiO₂ films, a maximum of roughness was obtained after probe grafting. Step height measurements of grafted probes could be performed on SiO₂ leading to an apparent thickness of around 3.7 ± 1.0 nm. After hybridization, on the granular surface of SnO₂, by coupling AFM with SEM FEG analyses, dispersed and well-resolved groups of gold nanoparticles linked to DNA duplexes could be observed. Their density varied from 6.6 ± 0.3 × 10¹⁰ to 2.3 ± 0.3 × 10¹¹ dots cm⁻². On the contrary, on smooth SiO₂ surface, the DNA duplexes behave like a dense carpet of globular structures with a density of 2.9 ± 0.5 × 10¹¹ globular structures cm⁻².     

Ru(bpy)2dppx2+与核酸作用的光谱研究

合成７,８－二甲基二联吡啶并（３,２,ａ：２’,３’,ｃ）吩嗪,简称ｄｐｐｘ,并合成了Ｒｒ（ｂｐｙ）２ｄｐｐｘ＾２＋混配物,研究了混配物与ＤＮＡ作用的紫外－可见光谱与荧光光谱。在ｐＨ９．５时ＤＮＡ能使混配物的紫外可见光谱发生明显的减色效应,荧光光谱在５９９ｎｍ处（λｅｘ＝４７１ｎｍ）产生新的荧光峰,探讨了反应的机理。     

Effect of ultrasonic waves on the water turbidity during the oxidation of phenol. Formation of (hydro)peroxo complexes

Analysis of the kinetics of aqueous phenol oxidation by a sono-Fenton process reveals that the via involving ortho-substituted intermediates prevails: catechol (25.0%), hydroquinone (7.7%) and resorcinol (0.6%). During the oxidation, water rapidly acquires color that reaches its maximum intensity at the maximum concentration of p-benzoquinone. Turbidity formation occurs at a slower rate. Oxidant dosage determines the nature of the intermediates, being trihydroxylated benzenes (pyrogallol, hydroxyhydroquinone) and muconic acid the main precursors causing turbidity.It is found that the concentration of iron species and ultrasonic waves affects the intensity of the turbidity. The pathway of (hydro)peroxo-iron(II) complexes formation is proposed. Operating with 20.0–27.8 mg Fe²⁺/kW rates leads to formation of (hydro)peroxo-iron(II) complexes, which induce high turbidity levels. These species would dissociate into ZZ-muconic acid and ferrous ions.Applying relationships around 13.9 mg Fe²⁺/kW, the formation of (hydro)peroxo-iron(III) complexes would occur, which could react with carboxylic acids (2,5-dioxo-3-hexenedioic acid). That reaction induces turbidity slower. This is due to the organic substrate reacting with two molecules of the (hydro)peroxo complex. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the iron regeneration, intensifying the ultrasonic irradiation. Afterwards, this complex would dissociate into maleic acid and ferric ions.     

Luminescence quenching of [Ru(bpy)3] by ruthenium(II) tetraphosphite complexes with different phosphite ligands

The luminescence quenching of excited Tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) ions by trans-[RuCl₂{P(OR)₃}₄] complexes with different alkyl chain ligands (R=C₂H₅, C₂H₅Cl, ⁿC₄H₉, ⁱC₃H₇ o-tolyl and ^tC₄H₉) was investigated. None of the acceptor Ru(II) phosphite complexes were luminescent, and the rate constants of the bimolecular system were determined within the range of 1.15 and 0.28×10⁸ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ for R=C₂H₅ and ^tC₄H₉, respectively. The results indicate a direct effect of the alkyl chains in the rate constants, showing a decrease of k_q as a function of increased of the alkyl chains (R) in the ruthenium(II) tetraphosphite complexes. The greater the R group content in the phosphite ligand, the more difficult the electron transfer is.     

Optical oxygen sensing materials based on trinuclear starburst ruthenium(II) complexes assembled in mesoporous silica

The preparation and oxygen sensing properties of optical materials based on two trinuclear starburst ruthenium(II) complexes: [Ru₃(bpy)₆(TMMB)]⁶⁺ (1) and [Ru₃(phen)₆(TMMB)]⁶⁺ (2) (bpy=2,2′-bpyridine, phen=1,10-phenathroline, TMMB=1,3,5-tris[2-(2′-pyridyl)benzimidazoyl]methylbenzene) assembled in two mesoporous silicate (MS) are described in this paper. The luminescence of Ru complexes/silicate assemble materials can be quenched by molecular oxygen with good sensitivity (I₀/I₁>5 for 2/MS and I₀/I₁>3 for 1/MS), indicating that trinuclear starburst Ru(II) complexes/MS systems are sensitive to oxygen molecules.     

Sonochemical effect on two new Ruthenium(II) complexes with ligand (E)-N-((6-bromopyridin-2-yl)methylene)-4-(methylthio)aniline precursors for synthesis of RuO2 nanoparticles

Two novel Ru(II) complexes [(η⁶-p-cymene)RuCl(L2)]PF₆ (R2) and [(η⁶-C₆H₆)RuCl(L2)]PF₆ (R4), with ligand (E)-N-((6-bromopyridin-2-yl)methylene)-4-(methylthio)aniline (L2), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopy. Based on X-ray crystallography studies, complexes R2 and R4 have coordination environments with formulated (η⁶-p-cymene)Ru(N₂Cl) and (η⁶-C₆H₆)Ru(N₂Cl), respectively. The thermal stabilities of compounds R2 and R4 were studied by thermal gravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermal decomposition of these complexes was at 280 °C and 260 °C under air atmosphere respectively. The interaction of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was explored through electronic absorption spectra, fluorescence and redox behavior studies. The results showed that the complexes bind to CT-DNA with electrostatic interactions. Nanoparticles of RuO₂ were prepared by calcination of R2 and R4. Also the role of the ultrasound waves on the characteristics of the RuO₂ nanoparticles was studied. The nanoparticles were characterized by IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also size and morphology of nanoparticles were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

Dinuclear Zn(II) catalysts as biomimics of RNA and DNA phosphoryl transfer enzymes: changing the medium from water to alcohol provides enzyme‐like rate enhancements

Phosphodiesters are notoriously hydrolytically inert compounds that are demonstrated to have large accelerations of P‐OR cleavage promoted by transition and lanthanide metal ions in methanol and ethanol media. This review commentary describes recent findings of how a simple mononuclear and a dinuclear Zn(II) complex promote the cleavage of a series of RNA models and DNA models in alcohol media. The discussion centers on the analysis of the mechanisms of cleavage, energetics of the catalytic process, on recent findings of electrophilic assistance of leaving group departure, and the observation of a rapid hydrolytic reaction of a DNA model promoted by the dinuclear Zn(II) complex in ethanol containing less than 2% water. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assemblies, characterization, and luminescent enhancement of organized molecular films based on rare earth complexes

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of different molar percentages of Eu(TTA)₃Phen (TTA=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone; Phen=1,10-phenanthroline) with Gd(TTA)₃Phen coexisting with arachidic acid (AA) (complexes:AA=1:l, in molar ratio) were fabricated and the luminescence enhancement of Eu(III) in the films was studied in this investigation. The monolayers and LB films were characterized by π-A isotherms, fluorescence microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and low-angle X-ray diffraction. High-quality LB films and strongly luminescent films were obtained. It was learned from the present study that an efficient intermolecular energy transfer occurred from Gd(TTA)₃Phen to Eu(TTA)₃Phen in the films, which resulted in the luminescence enhancement effect. According to the proposed model of the “active enhancement circle” the distance of energy transfer from Gd-, Tb-, La-, and Y-complex to Eu-complex were calculated to be 1.2, 1.2, 0.7 and 1.0 nm, respectively.     

Proton coupled electron transfer reaction of phenols with excited state ruthenium(II) – polypyridyl complexes

The reaction of phenols with the excited state, *[Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ (E₀ = 0.76 V) and *[Ru(H₂dcbpy)₃]²⁺, (dcbpy = 4,4′‐dicarboxy‐2,2′‐bipyridine) (E₀ = 1.55 V vs. SCE) complexes in CH₃CN has been studied by luminescence quenching technique and the quenching is dynamic. The formation of phenoxyl radical as a transient is confirmed by its characteristic absorption at 400 nm. The k_q value is highly sensitive to the change of pH of the medium and ΔG⁰ of the reaction. Based on the treatment of k_q data in terms of energetics of the reaction and pH of the medium, proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism has been proposed for the reaction. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High‐accuracy X‐ray absorption spectra from mM solutions of nickel (II) complexes with multiple solutions using transmission XAS

A new approach is introduced for determining X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) spectra on absolute and relative scales using multiple solutions with different concentrations by the characterization and correction of experimental systematics. This hybrid technique is a development of standard X‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) along the lines of the high‐accuracy X‐ray extended range technique (XERT) but with applicability to solutions, dilute systems and cold cell environments. This methodology has been applied to determining absolute XAS of bis(N‐n‐propyl‐salicylaldiminato) nickel(II) and bis(N‐i‐propyl‐salicylaldiminato) nickel(II) complexes with square planar and tetrahedral structures in 15 mM and 1.5 mM dilute solutions. It is demonstrated that transmission XAS from dilute systems can provide excellent X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) and XAFS spectra, and that transmission measurements can provide accurate measurement of subtle differences including coordination geometries. For the first time, (transmission) XAS of the isomers have been determined from low‐concentration solutions on an absolute scale with a 1–5% accuracy, and with relative precision of 0.1% to 0.2% in the active XANES and XAFS regions after inclusion of systematic corrections.     

Synthesis,spectral studies,and catalytic and antibacterial activity of Ru(II) complexes with coordinated amides

Twelve Ru(II) complexes with coordinated amides were synthesized and characterized by elemental, IR, ¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P NMR, mass, and electronic spectral analysis, along with magnetic and conductance measurements. Molecular formulas and octahedral structures have been tentatively proposed. These complexes were used as catalysts for the hydrolysis of rivastigmine and neostigmine. The hydrolyzed products were coupled with 3-methyl benzothiazolinone hydrazone reagent in the presence of sodium metaperiodate and the resulting colored products were determined spectrophotometrically. The yields of hydrolyzed products were found to be 98.47% and 99.75% respectively. All the ligands and Ru(II) complexes were screened for antibacterial activity. Published in Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 75, No. 6, pp. 867–874, November–December, 2008.     

DFT study of electronic structure and optical properties of some Ru- and Rh-based complexes for dye-sensitized solar cells

The paper reports Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD DFT) calculations providing the structure, electronic properties and spectra of [Ru(II)(bpy)_{3? n} (dcbpy) _n ]²⁺ and [Rh(III)(bpy)_{3? n} (dcbpy) _n ]³⁺ complexes, where bpy?=?2,2′-bipyridyl, dcbpy?=?4,4′-dicarboxy-2,2′-bipyridyl, and n?=?0,?1,?2,?3, studied as possible pigments for dye-sensitized solar cells. The role of the metallic ion and of the COOH groups on the optical properties of these complexes are compared and contrasted and their relevance as dyes for hybrid organic–inorganic photovoltaic cells is discussed. It was found that the optical spectra are strongly influenced by the metallic ion, with visible absorption bands for the Ru(II) complexes and only ultraviolet bands for the Rh(III) complexes. Upon excitation, the extra positive charge of the Rh³⁺ centre tends to draw electrons towards the metal ion, facilitating some charge transfer from the ligand to the metal, whereas in the case of the Ru²⁺ ion the electron transfer is clearly from the metal to the ligand. The carboxyl groups play an important role in strengthening the absorption bands in solution in the visible region. Of the complexes studied, the most suited as pigments for dye-sensitized solar cells are the [Ru(II)(bpy)_{3? n} (dcbpy) _n ]²⁺ complexes with n?=?1 and 2. This is based on the following arguments: (i) their intense absorption band in the visible region, (ii) the presence of the anchoring groups allowing the bonding to the TiO₂ substrate and the charge transfer, and (iii) the good energy level alignment with the conduction band edge of the semiconducting substrate and the redox level of the electrolyte.     

Energy transfer probe for the characterization of luminescent photonic crystals morphology

We evaluated energy transfer probe for the characterization of luminescent photonic crystals morphology. It demonstrates a monomolecular filming of fluorescent chelated complexes inside photonic crystal voids. Either direct fluorescence quenching of excited fluorescent donors by the acceptors in case of low concentration of fluorescent centers or fluorescence quenching accelerated by energy migration over fluorescent donor ions in case of 100% of sites occupied by donors is demonstrated in 2D space contrarily to the powder samples of the same complexes where energy transfer occurs in 3D space.