Redox and Photochemistry of Bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) Amino Acids and Their Amide Conjugates – from Understanding to Applications (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 32/2014)

The cover picture shows push‐pull‐substituted bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) amino acid [Ru(4′‐tpy‐COOH)(4′‐tpy‐NH2)] 2+ (tpy = 2,2′;6′,2″‐terpyridine) and its interaction with light, as well as with electron donors and electron acceptors, in the front. This multifunctional complex is phosphorescent at room temperature even in fluid solution, interacts with protons at the peripheral functional groups, is active in ground‐state redox reactions as well as in photoinduced electron‐transfer reactions and in energy‐transfer schemes. The central parent complex is surrounded by four pictures illustrating light‐induced charge separation on the nanoscale achieved with this complex, its photochemical stability in solution, its potential in light‐to‐energy conversion, and its application in light‐emitting electrochemical cells. The background shows the chemical institutes of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, where the major part of the presented results have been achieved. Intense collaborations within the International Research Training Group 1404 (IRTG) “Self‐organized Materials for Optoelectronics” and the Graduate School of Excellence “MAterials science IN mainZ”, especially with partners from the Republic of Korea, have fruitfully advanced our studies in the direction of potential applications. Details are presented in the Microreview by K. Heinze et al. on p. 5468 ff . For more on the story behind the cover research, see the Cover Profile .