A Metal‐Coordinating DNA Hairpin Mimic

A self‐complementary oligodeoxynucleotide containing a 6,6′′‐substituted terpyridine was found to adopt a highly stable, hairpin‐like structure. In addition to serving as a hairpin‐loop mimic, the terpyridine can act as a coordination site for metals. Thus, the binding of several divalent transition metals (Zn 2+ , Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu 2+ and Pd 2+ ) to the terpyridine hairpin mimic was investigated. The terpyridine‐modified hairpin mimic forms a stable secondary structure in the presence of these metals. The stability of the metal‐coordinated hairpin mimic was found to be lower than in the absence of metal. Furthermore, the T m of the metallohairpin is strongly influenced by the type of the bound metal, with T m 's increasing in the order Co 2+ ∼Ni 2+

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