Tuning the Excited States of New Ru(II) Complexes for Potential Photodynamic Therapy Applications

化学结构、动力学和机理（CSDM）项目支持俄亥俄州立大学Claudia Turro教授开展钌配合物激发态动力学的基础/基础研究，包括其配体交换光化学。本研究的主要目标是了解控制有效激发态配体解离的原理，其动力学，以及如何增强和控制这一激发态过程。一个感兴趣的领域是研究新的金属配合物，这些配合物可以在低能量可见光下与水分子进行配体交换。由此产生的光产物与DNA结合，最终导致癌细胞死亡。本文的主要工作重点是了解离开配体的性质以及基态和最低能量激发态的电子和结构特征如何影响光化学反应。这项研究将为以后发现新的光动力治疗剂提供基础知识。这项工作也将导致理解光子吸收的初始步骤，并在包括太阳能转换和光伏设备在内的领域具有重要意义。研究人员致力于研究生和本科生的教育，以及代表性不足的群体的成员。Turro教授是俄勒冈州立大学全国黑人化学家和化学工程师组织学生分会的指导老师，也是该系多元化委员会的成员，并参加了旨在促进和保留科学领域代表性不足的少数民族和女性的国家和地区协会会议。这些努力将有助于在本科和研究生阶段培养高素质、多样化的科学家。这项研究的一个重要方面是有可能理解所提出的复合物的激发态反应性，这有可能影响医学和太阳能领域，从而为社会提供明显的好处。

The Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanism (CSDM) Program supports Professor Claudia Turro at the Ohio State University to carry out fundamental/basic studies on the dynamics of excited states of ruthenium complexes, including their ligand-exchange photochemistry. The main goal of the research is to understand the principles that govern efficient excited state ligand-dissociation, its kinetics, and how this excited state process can be enhanced and controlled. One area of interest is the investigation of new metal complexes that can undergo ligand exchange with water molecules with low energy visible light. The resulting photoproducts bind to DNA, ultimately resulting in the death of cancer cells. The primary focus of the proposed work is to gain understanding how the properties of the leaving ligand and the electronic and structural characteristics of the ground state and the lowest energy excited state affect the photochemistry. This research will provide the basic knowledge that can later be applied to the discovery of new photodynamic therapy agents. This work will also result in understanding of the initial steps following photon absorption, and important point in areas that include solar energy conversion and photovoltaic devices.The researchers are committed to the education of graduate and undergraduate students, as well as members of underrepresented groups. Professor Turro is the faculty advisor for the student chapter of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers at OSU, is a member of the department's Diversity Committee, and attended national and regional meetings of societies geared to promote and retain underrepresented minorities and women in science. These efforts will aid in the training of highly qualified, diverse scientists at the undergraduate and graduate levels. An important aspect of the research is the potential for the understanding of the excited state reactivity of the complexes proposed, which has the potential to impact the areas of medicine and solar energy, thus providing a clear benefit to society.