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Related Concept Videos

Properties of Organometallic Compounds01:23

Properties of Organometallic Compounds

Organometallic compounds are compounds that contain a carbon–metal bond. Carbon belongs to an organyl group like alkyl, aryl, allyl, or benzyl groups. The metal can be from Group I or Group II of the periodic table, a transition metal, or a semimetal.
Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II01:46

Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II

The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is the main energy generation system in the eukaryotic cells. However, mitochondria also produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the large electron flow during oxidative phosphorylation. While Complex I is one of the primary sources of superoxide radicals, ROS production by Complex II is uncommon and may only be observed in cancer cells with mutated complexes.
ROS generation is regulated and maintained at moderate levels necessary...
Heterogeneous Catalysis01:22

Heterogeneous Catalysis

Heterogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst in a different phase from the reactants. It is a process where the catalyst and the reactants are in distinct phases, typically solid and gas or liquid.Most heterogeneous catalysts are metals, metal oxides, or acids. The list includes transition metals like iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu). These metals possess partially vacant d orbitals that...
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation02:17

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Metal-Ligand Bonds02:51

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect01:19

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

In complexation reactions, metal atoms or cations interact with ligands to form donor-acceptor adducts called metal complexes. Ligands that bind through one donor site are monodentate, ligands with two donor sites are bidentate, and those with more than two donor sites are polydentate ligands. For example, ethylene diamine is a bidentate ligand that binds through two nitrogen donor atoms, forming a five-membered ring. EDTA is a polydentate ligand that binds through four oxygen and two nitrogen...

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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
11:14

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay

Published on: November 10, 2013

Catalytic organometallic anticancer complexes.

Sarah J Dougan1, Abraha Habtemariam, Sarah E McHale

  • 1School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JJ, United Kingdom.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 9, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ruthenium complexes with specific ligands are surprisingly cytotoxic to cancer cells, despite their inertness. These organometallic compounds generate reactive oxygen species and catalyze reactions with glutathione, offering new avenues for catalytic drug design.

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Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents
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Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
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Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions

Published on: July 30, 2017

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Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
11:14

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay

Published on: November 10, 2013

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents
07:20

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents

Published on: May 28, 2014

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions
19:58

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis from Benzimidazolium Salts and Catalytic Activity in Carbon-carbon Bond-forming Reactions

Published on: July 30, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Organometallic chemistry
  • Medicinal inorganic chemistry
  • Cancer biology

Background:

  • Organometallic complexes offer unique chemical properties not found in organic molecules, suggesting potential for novel drug mechanisms.
  • Half-sandwich ruthenium arene complexes with iodido and phenylazopyridine ligands exhibit unusual stability in aqueous solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cytotoxicity and mechanism of action of novel ruthenium arene complexes.
  • To explore the redox properties and catalytic activity of these complexes in biological systems.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis and characterization of ruthenium arene complexes.
  • Cytotoxicity assays against human ovarian (A2780) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines.
  • Fluorescence-trapping experiments to detect reactive oxygen species.
  • Electrochemical measurements to determine redox potentials.
  • Reactions with glutathione to assess catalytic activity.

Main Results:

  • Ruthenium complexes showed high cytotoxicity against A2780 and A549 cancer cells.
  • Cytotoxicity is linked to an increase in reactive oxygen species within A549 cells.
  • Complexes exhibit redox activity, with one-electron reduction attributed to the azo group.
  • Ruthenium complexes catalyzed the oxidation of glutathione to glutathione disulfide.

Conclusions:

  • The inert ruthenium complexes display significant anticancer activity.
  • A mechanism involving redox cycling of the azopyridine ligand and glutathione attack is proposed.
  • Ligand-based redox reactions in organometallic complexes open new strategies for designing catalytic drugs.