Self-Assembly of Cationic, Hetero- or Homonuclear Ruthenium(II) Macrocyclic Rectangles and Their Photophysical, Electrochemical, and Biological Studies

A series of supramolecular rectangles, including two mixed-metal Ru/Pt complexes, have been formed by the coordination-driven self-assembly of a range of arene–Ru “molecular clip” acceptors (1a–1d) with rigid dipyridyl-based ligands (2a–2d) over the course of 10 h in solution. The isolated products were characterized by multinuclear NMR (1H and 13C or 31P), HR-ESI-MS, and an X-ray diffraction study to support the ascribed two-component rectangular structures. The rectangles were further characterized by UV–vis and fluorescence studies. The redox behaviors of rectangles 3ca and 3da were also determined using cyclic voltammetry. Additionally, the antitumor activities of the suite of rectangles were determined against various human cancer cell lines, and significant activity was shown by complexes 3ca, 3da, 3cb, 3cc, and 3cd, with IC50 values as low as 2.65 μM.