Abstract/Summary

X-ray crystal structures of three Λ-[Ru(L)2dppz]2+ complexes (L=phen, bpy) bound to d((5BrC)GGC/GCCG) show the compounds intercalated at a 5´-CG-3´ step. The compounds bind through canted intercalation, with the binding angle determined by the guanine-NH2 group, in contrast to symmetrical intercalation previously observed at 5´-TA-3´ sites. This result suggests that canted intercalation is preferred at 5´-CG-3´ sites even though the site itself is symmetrical, and we hypothesise that symmetrical intercalation in a 5´-CG-3´ step could give rise to a longer luminescence lifetime than canted intercalation.