Photosensitizer in a Molecular Bowl: Steric Protection Enhancing the Photonuclease Activity of Copper(II) Scorpionates

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Steric encumbrance caused by the tripodal ligand in the ternary tris(3-phenylpyrazolyl)borate copper(II) heterocyclic base complexes [Cu(B)(Tp Ph )](ClO 4 ) (B = dipyridoquinoxaline, dipyridophenazine) leads to efficient cleavage of supercoiled DNA to its relaxed form upon exposure to red light at 632.8 and 694 nm as a result of protection of the photosensitizer in the molecular bowl of the {Cu(Tp Ph )} moiety, which generates singlet oxygen as the reactive species in a type-II process.