A Hexanuclear Gallium(III) Complex with a {Ga^III₆(<i>μ</i>‐OH)₁₀} Core Supported by Two Naphthalenediolate‐Based Ligands

Abstract We have developed a family of 2,7‐disubstituted 1,8‐naphthalenediol ligands to pre‐organize two metal ions to the distance of two neighboring phosphate diesters of 6–7 Å in the DNA backbone by a rigid backbone. As complexes with divalent ions (Cu II and Ni II ) bind to DNA, interferes DNA synthesis via PCR, and kills human cancer cells more efficiently than human stem cells of the same proliferation rate, we intended to increase the binding affinity by going from divalent to trivalent ions‐especially Fe III . Here, we apply Ga III as redox inactive model for Fe III and obtain for the first time a complex with trivalent ions. However, the structural characterization provides not a dinuclear Ga III complex, but a hexanuclear Ga III complex with a central {Ga III 6 ( μ ‐OH) 10 } core, that is yet unprecedented.