The reaction of the water soluble phosphine 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA) with [Au(CC–C₅H₄N)]_n yields the highly luminescent water soluble [(PTA)Au(4-pyridylethynyl)] complex. A detailed analysis of the compound shows the formation of gel structure giving rise to very long fibers, being the first example reported with such a simple structure.

Mono- and dinuclear Cu(II) complexes were prepared with pseudopeptidic open chain and macrocyclic ligands, respectively. They were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, EPR, HRMS and X-ray diffraction. The Cu(II) cation is coordinated by two amines and two deprotonated amides, in a slightly distorted square planar coordination geometry. The complexes interact with several substituted dicarboxylates, as shown by UV-vis titrations and EPR experiments. The interaction of both mono- and dinuclear complexes with very similar dicarboxylates of biological interest (malate and aspartate) resulted in strikingly different outcomes: in the first case a ternary complex [ligand⋯metal⋯dicarboxylate] was obtained almost quantitatively, while in the latter, the Cu(II) displacement to form Cu(Asp)₂ was predominant.

Photogeneration of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) by rose bengal is improved through the use of a porous monolithic polymer (PMP) as a support, as compared to a classic gel-type resin matrix. This type of monolithic polymeric matrix can be made at a multigram scale in quantitative yields enabling the preparation of large amounts of supported photosensitizer at low cost. The singlet oxygen induced oxidation of 9,10-diphenylanthracene has been used as a benchmark reaction, and a comparative study using rose bengal in solution, entrapped within gel-type derived polymer and entrapped within a porous monolithic polymer (PMP) has been performed. The enhanced photoreactivity of the PMP-rose bengal conjugates has been utilised for the successful photodynamic therapy (PDT) of melanoma cells.