Detoxifying Polyhalogenated Catechols through a Copper‐Chelating Agent by Forming Stable and Redox‐Inactive Hydrogen‐Bonded Complexes with an Unusual Perpendicular Structure

The use of selective metal chelating agents with preference for binding of a specific metal ion to investigate its biological role is becoming increasingly common. We found recently that a well‐known copper‐specific chelator 2,9‐dimethyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline (2,9‐Me₂OP) could completely inhibit the synergistic toxicity induced by tetrachlorocatechol (TCC) and sodium azide (NaN₃). However, its underlying molecular mechanism is still not clear. Here, we show that the protection by 2,9‐Me₂OP is not due to its classic copper‐chelating property, but rather due to formation of a multiple hydrogen‐bonded complex between 2,9‐Me₂OP and TCC, featuring an unusual perpendicular arrangement of the two binding partners. The two methyl groups at the 2,9 positions in 2,9‐Me₂OP were found to be critical to stabilize the 2,9‐Me₂OP/TCC complex due to steric hindrance, and therefore completely prevents the generation of the reactive and toxic semiquinone radicals by TCC/NaN₃. This represents the first report showing that an unexpected new protective mode of action for the copper “specific” chelating agent 2,9‐Me₂OP by using its steric hindrance effect of the two CH₃ groups not only to chelate copper, but also to “chelate” a catechol through multiple H‐bonding. These findings may have broad biological implications for future research of this widely used copper‐chelating agent and the ubiquitous catecholic compounds.