The use of selective metal chelating agents with preference for binding of a specific metal ion to investigate its biological role is becoming increasingly common. We found recently that a well-known copper-specific chelator 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (2,9-Me 2 OP) could completely inhibit the synergistic toxicity induced by tetrachlorocatechol (TCC) and sodium azide (NaN 3 ). However, its underlying molecular mechanism is still not clear. Here, we show that the protection by 2,9-Me 2 OP is not due to its classic copper-chelating property, but rather due to formation of a multiple hydrogen-bonded complex between 2,9-Me 2 OP and TCC, featuring an unusual perpendicular arrangement of the two binding partners. The two methyl groups at the 2,9 positions in 2,9-Me 2 OP were found to be critical to stabilize the 2,9-Me 2 OP/TCC complex due to steric hindrance, and therefore completely prevents the generation of the reactive and toxic semiquinone radicals by TCC/NaN 3 . This represents the first report showing that an unexpected new protective mode of action for the copper "specific" chelating agent 2,9-Me 2 OP by using its steric hindrance effect of the two CH 3 groups not only to chelate copper, but also to "chelate" a catechol through multiple H-bonding. These findings may have broad biological implications for future research of this widely used copper-chelating agent and the ubiquitous catecholic compounds.