New triruthenium clusters as photoinduced DNA-binding and cleaving agents

1-Hydroxybenzotriazole and 1-hydroxypyridine-2-thione were incorporated as ligands with the cluster Ru3(CO)10 (NCMe)2 to give [(mu-H)Ru3(CO)10(mu2-2,3-eta2-NNN(O)C6 H4)] and [(mu-H)Ru3(CO)9(mu2-eta1 : eta2-C5H4N(O)S)], respectively. Irradiation of these two new triruthenium metal clusters individually with 350 nm UV light in a phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) containing form I DNA resulted in single-strand cleavage. Cluster [(mu-H)Ru3(CO)10(mu2-2,3--eta2-NNN (O)C6H4)] was also found to bind to calf thymus DNA upon UV irradiation.