Water detection by "turn on" fluorescence of the quinone-containing complexes [Ru(phen)2(1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione)2+] and [Ru(phenanthroline-5,6-dione)3]2+.

Addition of water to the quinone functions in [Ru(phen)2(pdn)](2+) (1) and [Ru(pdn)3](2+) (2) (where phen = 1,10-phenanthroline and pdn = 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) turns on fluorescence at 605 nm, as formation of the geminal diol eliminates the predominant quinone-based non-radiative decay pathway and gives rise to a long-lived (3)MLCT state similar in nature to that seen in [Ru(phen)3](2+). Using NMR, the equilibrium constant for the hydration reaction of 1 in acetonitrile was determined to be 0.0253. From this data and experimental fitting of the luminescent titration data, the equilibrium constant for 2 of 1.62 × 10(-5) and emission yields for hydrated 1 and 2 were determined. Interestingly, all three quinone functions must be hydrated in 2 for luminescence, which is why the equilibrium constants vary so much. The 'turn on' luminescence allows for a very sensitive detection of water in aprotic solvents such as acetonitrile.

Cleavage of DNA by proton-coupled electron transfer to a photoexcited, hydrated Ru(II) 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione complex.

Visible light irradiation of a ruthenium(II) quinone-containing complex, [(phen)(2)Ru(phendione)](2+) (1(2+)), where phendione = 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione, leads to DNA cleavage in an oxygen independent manner. A combination of NMR analyses, transient absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence measurements in water and acetonitrile reveal that complex 1(2+) must be hydrated at the quinone functionality, giving [(phen)(2)Ru(phenH(2)O)](2+) (1H(2)O(2+), where phenH(2)O = 1,10-phenanthroline-6-one-5-diol), in order to access a long-lived (3)MLCT(hydrate) state (τ ∼ 360 ns in H(2)O) which is responsible for DNA cleavage. In effect, hydration at one of the carbonyl functions effectively eliminates the low-energy (3)MLCT(SQ) state (Ru(III) phen-semiquinone radical anion) as the predominant nonradiative decay pathway. This (3)MLCT(SQ) state is very short-lived (<1 ns) as expected from the energy gap law for nonradiative decay, (1) and too short-lived to be the photoactive species. The resulting excited state in 1H(2)O(2+)* has photophysical properties similar to the (3)MLCT state in [Ru(phen)(3)](2+)* with the added functionality of basic sites at the ligand periphery. Whereas [Ru(phen)(3)](2+)* does not show direct DNA cleavage, the deprotonated form of 1H(2)O(2+)* does via a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism where the peripheral basic oxygen sites act as the proton acceptor. Analysis of the small molecule byproducts of DNA scission supports the conclusion that cleavage occurs via H-atom abstraction from the sugar moieties, consistent with a PCET mechanism. Complex 1(2+) is a rare example of a ruthenium complex which 'turns on' both reactivity and luminescence upon switching to a hydrated state.