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In-Depth Information
10
Metal Complexes as Alternative Base
Pairs or Triplets in Natural and Synthetic
Nucleic Acid Structures
Arnie De Leon, Jing Kong, and Catalina Achim
Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
10.1 Introduction
Advances made in recent decades in understanding biological processes at the molecular
level have stimulated progress in the quest for biomimetic approaches for the synthesis of
artificial devices that perform various functions, such as electron or ion transfer, catalysis,
controlled changes in magnetic properties, or mechanical motions in response to an elec-
trochemical, pH, or light signal. A fundamental issue in the synthesis of the devices is the
rational and precise assembly by covalent and/or non-covalent interactions of a discrete
number of molecular components in a manner in which they can sense and communicate
with each other when a change in their environment takes place. In this context, hybrid
inorganic-nucleic acid molecules that contain one or more transition metal ions have
been pursued recently. The coexistence of metal complexes and nucleobase pairs leads to
molecules with a relatively large set of properties that can be adjusted to achieve the
desired molecular architecture and function. This chapter presents an overview of the
research in the area of metal-containing, ligand-modified nucleic acids that emerged and
has developed in the last decade and a half.
The typical synthesis of molecules containing several metal ions is based on either: (a)
the use of polytopic ligands, whose synthesis requires several, possibly different, organic
reactions and, consequently, has a low yield (Figure 10.1a), or (b) the self-assembly of
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