Synthesis and Electrochemical, Photophysical, and Self-Assembly Studies on Water-Soluble pH-Responsive Alkynylplatinum(II) Terpyridine Complexes

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b00513
• Publication Date: 2016-04-25T13:01:35Z
• Authors: Clive Yik-Sham Chung; Steve Po-Yam Li; Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo; Vivian Wing-Wah Yam
• Keywords: Terpyridine; Water soluble

A series of water-soluble pH-responsive alkynylplatinum(II) terpyridine complexes have been synthesized and characterized. The electronic absorption, emission, electrochemical properties the studied. self-assembly processes representative in aqueous media, presumably through Pt···Pt and/or π–π interactions, investigated by concentration- temperature-dependent UV–vis absorption measurements dynamic light scattering experiments. Interestingly, some found to undergo induced disassembly media modulation pH value solutions, resulting remarkable emission spectral changes. changes rationalized change hydrophilicity complexes, electrostatic repulsion among complex molecules, extent photoinduced electron transfer (PET) quenching upon protonation/deprotonation groups on complexes. By simple modifications chemical structures self-assembly/disassembly can occur at different multiple regions, thus allowing probing desired region triplet metal–metal-to-ligand charge-transfer near-infrared (NIR) region. Fixed-cell imaging experiments further demonstrated potential this class as NIR luminescent probes vitro, while emissions from live cells show good differentiation acidic organelles such lysosomes other cellular compartments.