Intramolecular nucleophilic activation promoting efficient hydrolytic cleavage of DNA by (aqua)bis(dipyridoquinoxaline)copper(ii) complexElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Table S1. Comparison of rate values for hydrolytic cleavage of DNA by different metal complexes. See http://www.rsc.org/suppdata/dt/b4/b401383b/

Abstract

The axial aqua bound copper(II) complex [Cu(dpq)2(H2O)](ClO4)2, having a planar NN-donor heterocyclic base dipyridoquinoxaline (dpq) as the DNA minor groove binder, shows efficient hydrolytic cleavage of supercoiled DNA in the dark and in the absence of any external reagents, as evidenced from T4 ligase experiments, with a rate of 5.58 +/- 0.4 h(-1) and a rate enhancement of 1.55 x 10(8).