Advances in the photochemistry and photophysics of chromium(iii) polypyridyl complexes in fluid media

Anti-cancer property and DNA binding interaction of first row transition metal complexes: A decade update

Metal ions carry out a wide variety of functions, including acid-base/redox catalysis, structural functions, signaling, and electron transport. Understanding the interactions of transition metal complexes with biomacromolecules is essential for biology, medicinal chemistry, and the production of synthetic metalloenzymes. After the coincidental discovery of cisplatin, importance of the metal complexes in biochemistry became a top priority for inquiry. In this review, a decade update on various synthetic strategies to first row transition metal complex and their interaction with DNA through non-covalent binding are explored. Moreover, this effort provides an excellent analysis on the efficacy of theoretical and practical approaches to the systematic generation of new non-platinum based metallodrugs for anti-cancer therapeutics.

Mechanism of Oxygen Quenching of the Excited States of Heteroleptic Chromium(III) Phenanthroline Derivatives

In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of some heteroleptic Cr(III) complexes of the form [Cr(Phen)2L](OTf)3, where Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline and L is either 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) or its derivatives, such as 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (4,4'-DMB), 4,4'-dimethoxy-2,2'-bipyridine (4,4'-DMOB), 4,4'-ditert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (4,4'-dtbpy), 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (5,5'-DMB), 4,4'-dimethoxycarbonyl-2,2'-bipyridine (4,4'-dmcbpy) or 1,10-phenanthroline derivatives, such as 5-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline (5-Me-Phen) and 4,7-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (4,7-DMP). Heteroleptic complexes were prepared in two stages via the intermediate [Cr(Phen)2(CF3SO3)2](CF3SO3) and five examples have been crystallographically characterized. Steady-state absorption and luminescence emission characteristics of these complexes were measured in 1 M HCl solutions. The luminescence quantum yield of these complexes was found to be the lowest for [Cr(Phen)2(4,4'-dmcbpy)](OTf)3 and the highest for [Cr(Phen)2(4,4'-DMB)](OTf)3 with values of 0.31 × 10-2 and 1.48 × 10-2, respectively. The calculated excited state energy, E0-0, was found to vary within the narrow range of 163.1-165.0 kJ mol-1 across the series. Transient absorption spectra in degassed, air-equilibrated, and oxygen-saturated 1 M HCl aqueous solutions were also measured at different time decays and demonstrated no significant differences, indicating the absence of any ion-separated species in the excited state. Excited-state decay traces at the wavelength of maximum absorption were used to calculate oxygen quenching rate constants, kq, which were found to be in the range 3.26-5.27 × 107 M-1 s-1. Singlet oxygen luminescence photosensitized by these complexes was observed in D2O, and its luminescence intensity at 1270 nm was used for the determination of singlet oxygen quantum yields for these complexes, which were in the range of 0.20-0.44, while the fraction of the excited 2E state quenched by oxygen was in the range of 0.22-0.68, and the efficiency of singlet oxygen production was in the range of 0.44-0.90. The mechanism by which the excited 2E state is quenched by oxygen is explained by a spin statistical model that predicts the balance between charge transfer and noncharge transfer deactivation pathways, which was represented by the parameter pCT that was found to vary from 0.35 to 0.68 for this series of Cr(III) complexes.

Direct Determination of the Rate of Intersystem Crossing in a Near-IR Luminescent Cr(III) Triazolyl Complex

A detailed understanding of the dynamics of photoinduced processes occurring in the electronic excited state is essential in informing the rational design of photoactive transition-metal complexes. Here, the rate of intersystem crossing in a Cr(III)-centered spin-flip emitter is directly determined through the use of ultrafast broadband fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy (FLUPS). In this contribution, we combine 1,2,3-triazole-based ligands with a Cr(III) center and report the solution-stable complex [Cr(btmp)₂]³⁺ (btmp = 2,6-bis(4-phenyl-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl-methyl)pyridine) (1³⁺), which displays near-infrared (NIR) luminescence at 760 nm (τ = 13.7 μs, ϕ = 0.1%) in fluid solution. The excited-state properties of 1³⁺ are probed in detail through a combination of ultrafast transient absorption (TA) and femtosecond-to-picosecond FLUPS. Although TA spectroscopy allows us to observe the evolution of phosphorescent excited states within the doublet manifold, more significantly and for the first time for a complex of Cr(III), we utilize FLUPS to capture the short-lived fluorescence from initially populated quartet excited states immediately prior to the intersystem crossing process. The decay of fluorescence from the low-lying ⁴MC state therefore allows us to assign a value of (823 fs)^-1 to the rate of intersystem crossing. Importantly, the sensitivity of FLUPS to only luminescent states allows us to disentangle the rate of intersystem crossing from other closely associated excited-state events, something which has not been possible in the spectroscopic studies previously reported for luminescent Cr(III) systems.

Employing Long-Range Inductive Effects to Modulate Metal-to-Ligand Charge Transfer Photoluminescence in Homoleptic Cu(I) Complexes

Four Cu(I) bis(phenanthroline) photosensitizers formulated from a new ligand structural motif (Cu1-Cu4) coded according to their 2,9-substituents were synthesized, structurally characterized, and fully evaluated using steady-state and time-resolved absorption and photoluminescence (PL) measurements as well as electrochemistry. The 2,9-disubstituted-3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline ligands feature the following six-membered ring systems prepared through photochemical synthesis: 4,4-dimethylcyclohexyl (1), tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl (2), tetrahydro-2H-thiopyran-4-yl (3), and 4,4-difluorocyclohexyl (4). Universally, these Cu(I) metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) chromophores display excited-state lifetimes on the microsecond time scale at room temperature, including the three longest-lived homoleptic cuprous phenanthroline excited states measured to date in de-aerated CH₂Cl₂, τ = 2.5-4.3 μs. This series of molecules also feature high PL quantum efficiencies (Φ_PL = 5.3-12% in CH₂Cl₂). Temperature-dependent PL lifetime experiments confirmed that all these molecules exhibit reverse intersystem crossing and display thermally activated delayed PL from a ¹MLCT excited state lying slightly above the ³MLCT state, 1050-1490 cm^-1. Ultrafast and conventional transient absorption measurements confirmed that the PL originates from the MLCT excited state, which remains sterically arrested, preventing an excessive flattening distortion even when dissolved in Lewis basic CH₃CN. Combined PL and electrochemical data provided evidence that Cu1-Cu4 are highly potent photoreductants (E_ox* = -1.73 to -1.62 V vs Fc^+/0 in CH₃CN), whose potentials are altered solely based on which heteroatoms or substituents are resident on the 2,9-appended ring derivatives. It is proposed that long-range electronic inductive effects are responsible for the systematic modulation observed in the PL spectra, excited-state lifetimes, and the ground state absorption spectra and redox potentials. Cu1-Cu4 quantitatively follow the energy gap law, correlating well with structurally related cuprous phenanthrolines and are also shown to triplet photosensitize the excited states of 9,10-diphenylanthracene with bimolecular rate constants ranging from 1.61 to 2.82 × 10⁸ M^-1 s^-1. The ability to tailor both photophysical and electrochemical properties using long-range inductive effects imposed by the 2,9-ring platforms advocates new directions for future MLCT chromophore discovery.

The overlooked NIR luminescence of Cr(ppy)3

Cr(ppy)₃, a structural analog of the green phosphorescent Ir(ppy)₃, emits even in solution at room temperature from a weakly distorted spin-flip state at 910 nm (Hppy = 2-phenylpyridine). The low energy arises from an enhanced covalence of the Cr-C bonds as compared to Cr-N bonds. Lower temperature reduces thermally activated decay increasing the emission intensity.

Strongly Red-Emissive Molecular Ruby [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ Surpasses [Ru(bpy)3]2

Gaining chemical control over the thermodynamics and kinetics of photoexcited states is paramount to an efficient and sustainable utilization of photoactive transition metal complexes in a plethora of technologies. In contrast to energies of charge transfer states described by spatially separated orbitals, the energies of spin-flip states cannot straightforwardly be predicted as Pauli repulsion and the nephelauxetic effect play key roles. Guided by multireference quantum chemical calculations, we report a novel highly luminescent spin-flip emitter with a quantum chemically predicted blue-shifted luminescence. The spin-flip emission band of the chromium complex [Cr(bpmp)₂]³⁺ (bpmp = 2,6-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)pyridine) shifted to higher energy from ca. 780 nm observed for known highly emissive chromium(III) complexes to 709 nm. The photoluminescence quantum yields climb to 20%, and very long excited state lifetimes in the millisecond range are achieved at room temperature in acidic D₂O solution. Partial ligand deuteration increases the quantum yield to 25%. The high excited state energy of [Cr(bpmp)₂]³⁺ and its facile reduction to [Cr(bpmp)₂]²⁺ result in a high excited state redox potential. The ligand's methylene bridge acts as a Brønsted acid quenching the luminescence at high pH. Combined with a pH-insensitive chromium(III) emitter, ratiometric optical pH sensing is achieved with single wavelength excitation. The photophysical and ground state properties (quantum yield, lifetime, redox potential, and acid/base) of this spin-flip complex incorporating an earth-abundant metal surpass those of the classical precious metal [Ru(α-diimine)₃]²⁺ charge transfer complexes, which are commonly employed in optical sensing and photo(redox) catalysis, underlining the bright future of these molecular ruby analogues.

Beyond Chiral Organic (p-Block) Chromophores for Circularly Polarized Luminescence: The Success of d-Block and f-Block Chiral Complexes

Chiral molecules are essential for the development of advanced technological applications in spintronic and photonic. The best systems should produce large circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) as estimated by their dissymmetry factor (g _lum), which can reach the maximum values of -2 ≤ g _lum ≤ 2 when either pure right- or left-handed polarized light is emitted after standard excitation. For matching this requirement, theoretical considerations indicate that optical transitions with large magnetic and weak electric transition dipole moments represent the holy grail of CPL. Because of their detrimental strong and allowed electric dipole transitions, popular chiral emissive organic molecules display generally moderate dissymmetry factors (10^-5 ≤ g _lum ≤ 10^-3). However, recent efforts in this field show that g _lum can be significantly enhanced when the chiral organic activators are part of chiral supramolecular assemblies or of liquid crystalline materials. At the other extreme, chiral Eu^III- and Sm^III-based complexes, which possess intra-shell parity-forbidden electric but allowed magnetic dipole transitions, have yielded the largest dissymmetry factor reported so far with g _lum ~ 1.38. Consequently, 4f-based metal complexes with strong CPL are currently the best candidates for potential technological applications. They however suffer from the need for highly pure samples and from considerable production costs. In this context, chiral earth-abundant and cheap d-block metal complexes benefit from a renewed interest according that their CPL signal can be optimized despite the larger covalency displayed by d-block cations compared with 4f-block analogs. This essay thus aims at providing a minimum overview of the theoretical aspects rationalizing circularly polarized luminescence and their exploitation for the design of chiral emissive metal complexes with strong CPL. Beyond the corroboration that f-f transitions are ideal candidates for generating large dissymmetry factors, a special attention is focused on the recent attempts to use chiral Cr^III-based complexes that reach values of g _lum up to 0.2. This could pave the way for replacing high-cost rare earths with cheap transition metals for CPL applications.

Interaction of polypyridyl Cr(III) complexes with bovine serum albumin

We report a detailed investigation of the interaction of Cr(NN)₃³⁺ with bovine serum albumin (BSA), an important protein for the transport of drugs in blood plasma which allows us to understand further the role of Cr(NN)₃³⁺ as a sensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Chromium(III) complexes, Cr(5Cl-phen)₃³⁺, Cr(5Me-phen)₃³⁺ and Cr(5Ph-phen)₃³⁺ (where Cl = chlorine, Me = methyl and Ph = phenyl are substituents in position 5 of the phen = 1,10-phenanthroline bidentate ligand), were used for the present study. The interactions of BSA with Cr(NN)₃³⁺ were assessed employing fluorescence spectroscopy and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy; in addition electrochemical experiments carried out at a liquid/liquid interface gave insight into the relative hydrophobicities of the complexes. We found that chromium complexes bind strongly with bovine serum albumins (BSA) with intrinsic binding constants, K_b, of (3.33 ± 0.08) × 10⁵ M^-1, (5.92 ± 0.08) × 10⁵ M^-1 and (1.64 ± 0.05) × 10⁵ M^-1 at 300.3 K. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS indicated that hydrophobic interactions played a major role in all the BSA-Cr(NN)₃³⁺ association processes. The binding distances and transfer efficiencies for BSA binding reactions were calculated according to the Förster theory of non-radiation energy transfer giving distance (r) of 2.63 nm, 2.94 nm and 3.00 nm for 5Clphen, 5Mephen and 5Ph phenanthroline complexes, respectively. All these experimental results indicate that Cr(NN)₃³⁺ binds to serum albumins, by which these proteins could act as carriers of this complex for further applications in PDT.

Luminescence and Light-Driven Energy and Electron Transfer from an Exceptionally Long-Lived Excited State of a Non-Innocent Chromium(III) Complex

Photoactive metal complexes employing Earth-abundant metal ions are a key to sustainable photophysical and photochemical applications. We exploit the effects of an inversion center and ligand non-innocence to tune the luminescence and photochemistry of the excited state of the [CrN6 ] chromophore [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ with close to octahedral symmetry (tpe=1,1,1-tris(pyrid-2-yl)ethane). [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ exhibits the longest luminescence lifetime (τ=4500 μs) reported up to date for a molecular polypyridyl chromium(III) complex together with a very high luminescence quantum yield of Φ=8.2 % at room temperature in fluid solution. Furthermore, the tpe ligands in [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ are redox non-innocent, leading to reversible reductive chemistry. The excited state redox potential and lifetime of [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ surpass those of the classical photosensitizer [Ru(bpy)3 ]2+ (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) enabling energy transfer (to oxygen) and photoredox processes (with azulene and tri(n-butyl)amine).

Chromium(III) Bis-Arylterpyridyl Complexes with Enhanced Visible Absorption via Incorporation of Intraligand Charge-Transfer Transitions

A series of chromium(III) bis-arylterpyridyl complexes containing intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) excited states were prepared and characterized. These complexes show significant absorption in the visible region due to the ILCT bands. The ILCT bands are tunable across the UV and visible spectrum via incorporation of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups on the aryl ring. The absorption of Cr(4'-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine)₂³⁺ (4) in particular is much stronger in the visible region (ε = 11 900 M^-1 cm^-1 at 450 nm and ε = 5090 M^-1 cm^-1 at 500 nm) than that of the parent complex Cr(tpy)₂³⁺ (tpy = 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine; ε = 2160 M^-1 cm^-1 at 450 nm, and ε = 170 M^-1 cm^-1 at 500 nm). Emission experiments on this series reveal Cr(III)-based phosphorescence with lifetimes from 140 to 600 ns upon excitation into the ILCT bands, which indicates funneling of the excitation energy from ligand-localized excited states to Cr(III)-based excited states. Cyclic voltammograms exhibit at least three reversible ligand-based reductions. The first reduction shows shifts of up to -160 mV compared to Cr(tpy)₂³⁺. The excited-state reduction potential of these complexes ranges from +0.95 to +1.04 V vs the ferrocene/ferrocenium couple, making them potent photooxidants.

CrIII as an alternative to RuII in metallo-supramolecular chemistry

Semi-labile [Cr(tpy)(CF₃SO₃)₃] precursors can be exploited for building rod-like dinuclear dyads, in which paramagnetic and luminescent trivalent Cr^III replace diamagnetic Ru^II for unravelling intermetallic communication in supramolecular architectures.

Synthesis of cis-[Cr(diimine)2(1-methylimidazole)2](3+) Complexes and an Investigation of Their Interaction with Mononucleotides and Polynucleotides

A protocol is presented for the synthesis of chromium(III) complexes of the type cis-[Cr(diimine)2(1-methylimidazole)2](3+). These compounds exhibit large excited-state oxidizing powers and strong luminescence in solution. Emission is quenched by added guanine, yielding rate constants that track the driving force for guanine oxidation. The cis-[Cr(TMP)(DPPZ)(1-MeImid)2](3+) species binds strongly to duplex DNA with a preference for AT base sites in the minor groove and may serve as a precursor for photoactivated DNA covalent adduct formation.

Effect of ancillary ligands on the DNA interaction of [Cr(diimine)3]3+ complexes containing the intercalating dipyridophenazine ligand

The synthesis of photoluminescent Cr(III) complexes of the type [Cr(diimine)(2)(DPPZ)](3+) are described, where DPPZ is the intercalating dipyridophenazine ligand, and diimine corresponds to the ancillary ligands bpy, phen, DMP, and TMP (where bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, DMP = 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, and TMP = 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline). For TMP, DMP, and phen as ancillary ligands, the complexes have also been resolved into their Lambda and Delta optical isomers. A comparison of the photophysical and electrochemical properties reveal similar (2)E(g) --> (4)A(2g) (O(h)) emission wavelengths and lifetimes, and a variation of 110 mV in the (2)E(g) excited state oxidizing power. A detailed investigation has been undertaken of ancillary ligand effects on the DNA binding of these complexes with a range of polynucleotides. For all four complexes, emission is quenched by the addition of calf thymus B-DNA, with the emission lifetime data yielding bimolecular quenching rate constants close to the diffusion controlled limit. Equilibrium dialysis studies have established a general predilection for AT base binding sites, while companion experiments with added distamycin (a selective minor groove binder) provide evidence for a minor groove binding preference. For the case of [Cr(TMP)(2)(DPPZ)](3+), concomitant equilibrium dialysis and circular dichroism measurements have demonstrated very strong enantioselective binding by the Lambda optical isomer. The thermodynamics of DNA binding have also been explored via isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The ITC data establish that the primary binding mode for all four Cr(III) complexes is entropically driven, a result that is attributed to the highly favorable free energy contribution associated with the hydrophobic transfer of the Cr(III) complexes from solution into the DNA binding site.

Solvent Effects on the Spectroscopic and Photophysical Properties of the trans-(1,4,8,11-Tetraazacyclotetradecane)diisothiocyanatochromium(III) Ion, trans-[Cr(cyclam)(NCS)2]+

The spectroscopy and photophysics of trans-[Cr(cyclam)(NCS)2]+ (where cyclam is 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) were studied in a range of solvents. The cyclam NH stretching vibration [nu(NH)] wavenumber correlates with the Gutmann donor number, whereas the thiocyanate CN stretching vibration [nu(CN)] wavenumber correlates with the Snyder solvent strength (P') scale. These results signify that there is a difference in the solvent interactions with the two types of ligands. The energy of the ligand-to-metal charge transfer absorption maximum between 310 and 320 nm and the energy of the spin-forbidden (doublet-quartet) absorption and emission bands above 700 nm correlate with the nu(CN) wavenumber. This establishes the dominant role of solvent effects at the NCS- ligand in "tuning" the energy of these spectroscopic features. Quantum yields phirx for photosubstitution are <0.02 at 54 degrees C and <0.002 at 22 degrees C, demonstrating that photochemical reaction is a very minor pathway. The effects of solvent and temperature on the nonradiative decay of the doublet excited-state were investigated by observing the time-resolved phosphorescence between 700 and 750 nm. Below 30 degrees C, the lifetimes are relatively temperature-independent, whereas at higher temperatures, a strong Arrhenius-type dependence is observed. Values for the preexponential factor (A) and the activation energy (Ea) are solvent-dependent and follow a Barclay-Butler-type correlation. These observations are consistent with a dominant back-intersystem crossing pathway for nonradiative decay in the higher-temperature region. From trends observed between ln(A) and the nu(CN) frequency, it appears that solvent effects at the thiocyanate ligand play a dominant role in influencing the rate of nonradiative decay in the high-temperature region.

Synthesis and photophysical properties of new chromium(III) complexes of N-derivatized 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane ligands cis-[Cr(1,8-R(2)cyclam)Cl(2)]Cl, where R is a pendant chromophore. exclusive formation of the cis isomer

Several new chromium(III) complexes have been synthesized utilizing derivatives of the macrocyclic ligand cyclam (1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) with various N-substituted chromophores in the 1 and 8 positions (1,8-R(2)cyclam) where R = CH(3), CH(2)Ph, CH(2)Nph (Nph = naphthyl), and CH(2)Anth (Anth = anthracyl). X-ray crystal structures were determined for all four complexes, and these are formed exclusively in the cis configuration with the two tertiary amines in the "hinge" positions (i.e., along the folding axis) of the coordinated ligand. As a result, the cis isomers appear to be inert to isomerization under conditions dramatically more forcing than needed to effect the cis to trans isomerization of the unsubstituted Cr(cyclam)Cl(2)(+) ion. Photophysical studies demonstrated that emission occurs solely from the metal-centered ligand field doublet excited states regardless of whether initial excitation is into the quartet ligand field bands or into the pi-pi bands of the pendant chromophore. Thus, excitation of the pendant chromophore results in efficient intramolecular energy transfer to the metal centered ligand field excited states.

Pentacyano(pyridine)chromate(III): Synthesis, Characterization, and Photochemistry

The Cr(CN)(5)(py)(2)(-) anion (py = pyridine) has been prepared by acid-promoted methanolysis of Cr(CN)(6)(3)(-) followed by reaction with pyridine, isolated as the potassium salt, and characterized by absorption spectra (lambda(max): 403 and 256 nm in H(2)O; 411 nm in Me(2)SO) and phosphorescence, observed in Me(2)SO (lambda(max), 774 nm; tau = 56 &mgr;s at 20 degrees C) but not in H(2)O. In acid aqueous solution the complex decomposes stepwise to Cr(H(2)O)(5)(py)(3+); by contrast, the thermal reaction in Me(2)SO leads to Cr(CN)(5)(Me(2)SO)(2)(-) with first-order kinetics (k(25) = 9.8 x 10(-)(7) s(-)(1), DeltaH() = 138 +/- 8 kJ mol(-)(1)). Ligand-field (LF) band irradiation results in substitution of py and CN(-). The quantum yields, measured by ligand analysis, spectrophotometry, and HPLC, are as follows: Phi(py) = 0.08, Phi(CN) = 0.01 in H(2)O (pH 7.2, phosphate buffer) and Phi(py) = 0.04, Phi(CN) = 0.002 in Me(2)SO. The preference for py release obeys the prediction of the Vanquickenborne-Ceulemans, additive angular overlap model (AOM). A notable feature of this complex is that both types of ligands are pi acceptors, and the pi effect of py on bond labilization is evidenced by comparison with the photolysis of Cr(CN)(5)(NH(3))(2)(-). Irradiation of the intense UV absorption due to overlap of charge-transfer (CT) and pi --> pi, py localized transitions causes the increase of both quantum yields, suggesting the involvement of higher-energy states besides the LF ones. Co(sep)(3+) (sep = 1,3,6,8,10,13,16,19-octaazabicyclo[6.6.6]eicosane = sepulchrate) quenches the phosphorescence (k(q) = 1.6 x 10(9) M(-)(1) s(-)(1)) but has no effect on the photoreaction efficiencies: the photochemistry is thus inferred to originate entirely from the lowest quartet excited state(s) in competition with intersystem crossing. The marked solvent effects on the absorption spectrum, on the emission behavior, on the thermal reactivity, on the photolysis quantum yields, and, in particular, on the Phi(py)/Phi(CN) ratio, are discussed in terms of the proneness of the cyanide ligand to either protonation or hydrogen bonding and of solvent orientation toward anionic complexes.