Three copper(ii) coordination compounds have been prepared from three different 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine-based ligands, which have been selected to investigate the potential role of supramolecular interactions on the DNA-interacting and cytotoxicity properties of the corresponding metal complexes. Hence, the ligands 4'-((naphthalen-2-yl)methoxy)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine () and 4'-((1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methoxy)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine () have been synthesized from commercially-available 4'-chloro-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (), and their copper(ii) complexes have been obtained by reaction with copper(ii) nitrate. The DNA-interacting abilities of the corresponding compounds [Cu()(H2O)(NO3)2] (), [Cu()(NO3)(H2O)](NO3)(MeOH) () and [Cu()(NO3)(H2O)](NO3) () have been investigated using different techniques, and cytotoxicity assays with several cancer cell lines have revealed interesting features, viz. the more efficient complex is , which although it does not act as a DNA cleaver, displays the most effective DNA-interacting and cytotoxic properties, compared to and .

The solvothermal reaction of 2,5‐dihydroxyterephthalic acid (H2dhtp) and magnesium(II) nitrate in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) led to the simultaneous formation of two structural isomers, namely, the lvt network Mg(dhtp)(dmf)2 (1) and the compound Mg3(dhtp)3(dmf)6·0.75H2O (2) with the pcu α‐Po primitive cubic topology. The same reaction conditions with manganese(II) nitrate and terephthalic acid (H2tp) resulted in the concomitant generation of two drastically different metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely, Mn2(tp)2(dmf)2 (3) and [Mn(HCOO)3][NC2H8] (4), in which the formato ligands and N,N‐dimethylammonium cations arise from DMF degradation.

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We present here the design and preparation of several discrete coordination complexes exhibiting two Cu(II) ions separated by a dithienylcyclopentene as a photoswitchable spacer, proposed as models of molecular √SWAP quantum gates. These models use the two Cu(II) ions as realizations of qubits and the spacer as a light switch intended to trigger the gate by reversibly undergoing a ring closing isomerization. For this, a dicarboxylate species with a central diarylethene, H2L1, has been used, together with bipyridine or phenantroline as capping ligands. Also, a new dinucleating ligand containing the photoactive moiety between two tridentate coordinating pockets, H4L2, has been designed and prepared for the same purpose. The four complexes have been characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. Three of them exhibit reversible photoswitching in solution.

A multicomponent ligand binds three Mn(ii) centers into a cluster that exhibits self-recognition through a diverse array of complementary intermolecular interactions, that multiply in the solid state, and seem to persist in solution.