DNA Cleavage by an α,3-Dehydrotoluene Precursor Conjugated to a Minor Groove Binding Element

The (Z)-allene-ene-yne 10, a precursor to a reactive alpha,3-dehydrotoluene biradical, was covalently linked to a minor groove binding element, and the resultant conjugate (9) was shown to bind and cleave DNA with sequence selectivity.