Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
Published on: April 10, 2015
Probing nucleic acid structure with shape-selective rhodium and ruthenium complexes
1California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.
Abstract:
In this unit, transition metal complexes are used as photochemical probes for the structure of RNA and DNA. The transition metal ion provides a rigid substitutionally inert framework and an octahedral geometry for ligand coordination. The complexes can be constructed to define shapes, symmetries, and functionalities that complement those of the nucleic acid target. Complex formation is easily detected by light-induced nucleic acid cleavage. The modular construction of the complexes makes it possible to generate probes to examine a wide variety of structural characteristics of nucleic acids.
Related Concept Videos
Labeling DNA Probes
Radioisotopes, fluorophores, or small molecule binding partners like biotin or digoxigenin, are the most widely used reporter tags for labeling DNA probes. These labels can be attached to the probe DNA molecule via...
Nucleic Acid Structure
DNA Structure
DNA has a double-helix structure. The...

