Binuclear Lanthanide Complexes as Catalysts for the Hydrolysis of Bis(<i>p</i>‐nitrophenyl)‐phosphate and Double‐Stranded DNA

Abstract

The hydrolysis half-life is reduced from 75 years to eight minutes for bis(p-nitrophenyl)-phosphate (50°C, pH 7) when binuclear complexes like 1 are added; related complexes lead to similar effects. The cleavage of plasmid DNA is also accelerated dramatically. In these catalyzed reactions the distance between the metal centers plays a critical role.