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A Novel Technique for Generating and Observing Chemiluminescence in a Biological Setting
Published on: March 9, 2017
Efficient singlet oxygen generation by luminescent 2-(2′-thienyl)pyridyl cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes and
Siu-Wai Lai1, Ying Liu, Dong Zhang
1Department of Chemistry and Open Laboratory of Chemical Biology of the Institute of Molecular Technology for Drug Discovery and Synthesis, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. swlai@hku.hk
Abstract:
Luminescent cyclometalated platinum(II) complexes, namely [Pt(Thpy)(PPh3)X]n+ (HThpy = 2-(2′-thienyl)pyridine; X = Cl− (1), n = 0; X = CH3CN (2), pyridine (3), n = 1) and [Pt(Thpy)(HThpy)Y]n+ (Y = Cl− (4), n = 0; Y = pyridine (5), n = 1), exhibit structured emission with peak maximum at ∼556 and 598 nm in degassed acetonitrile and with emission quantum yield and lifetime of up to 0.38 and 26 μs, respectively. These complexes are efficient photosensitizers of singlet oxygen with yields up to >90%. Complex 5 exhibited photocytotoxicity towards cancer cells and fluorescence microscopic images of cells incubated with 5 reveal substantial uptake at the nucleus and mitochondria.
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