Synthesis and antitumor activity of a series of osmium(VI) nitrido complexes bearing quinolinolato ligands.

A series of osmium(VI) nitrido complexes supported by quinolinolato ligands have been prepared and they exhibit promising in vitro anti-cancer activities. These results establish that Os(VI)≡N is a potentially versatile and promising platform for the design of a variety of high-valent anti-cancer drugs.