individual charges on the ligands including those charges on peripheral non coordinating functional groups typically the value of z or z 1 will range from 2 to 2 when the complex is negatively charged it is associated with appropriate counterions of the type h na k nh 4 or the like when the complex is a cation appropriate anions include cl br i bf 4 pf 6 no 3 so 4 2 clo 4 or the like these may or may not be coordinated to the cu atom when in the solid state all of the above compounds may have an additional solvent molecule such as h 2 o in the fifth or sixth coordination site in the solid state the invention contemplates not only the use of the above noted compounds for use as radiosensitizers but in addition pharmaceutical compositions for such use which include the indicated compounds in effective amount as the active radiosensitizing agent together with a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle e g a solid or liquid carrier diluent or excipient therefor these compositions may take any of the conventional forms for effective administration e g pills tablets sterile injectable solutions and the like containing an effective amount of one or more of the indicated compounds the amount of active ingredient in such compositions can be widely varied from for example 0 001 to 1 or more based on the total weight of the composition the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may be used in a conventional manner for radiosensitizing purposes in combination with irradiation or the like in the.