Bioorganometallic chemistry:: synthesis, structure, and molecular recognition chemistry of (η5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)-rhodium-DNA/RNA complexes in water

A review of the aqueous bioorganometallic chemisty of DNA/RNA nucleobases and of the co;factor, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, with an (eta(5)-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)rhodium aqua complex, [Cp*Rh(H2O)(3)](OTf)(2), at various pH values, will be presented. The unique structures of the Cp*Rh complexes with adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide bioligands were determined by a combination of H-1- and P-31-NMR, ESI/MS, and single crystal X-ray crystallography. Competitive reactivity studies; principally with the more reactive adenine: and guanine derivatives, showed the important bonding characteristics with these nucleobases, while a novel cyclic trimer structure with 9-substituted adenine derivatives provided a new supramolecular receptor for molecular recognition studies with a variety of biologically important guests. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.