Synthesis,crystal structure,and luminescence properties of [TbGd(NAA)6(phen)2] and [Tb2(NNA)6(phen)2] · 2C3H7NO

Lanthanide(III) heteronuclear and binuclear complexes TbGd(NAA)₆(phen)₂] (1) and Tb₂(NAA)₆(phen)₂] · 2C₃H₇NO (2) (NAA = 1-naphthylacetic acid, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were prepared and their crystal structures were determined. In 1 and 2, each lanthanide is nine-coordinate by two bidentate-bridging and two tridentate chelating-bridging carboxylate groups, one bidentate chelating carboxylate and one phen molecule in a distorted monocapped square antiprism. The solid-state luminescence behavior and the antibacterial activities were studied. Complexes 1 and 2 exhibited characteristic emission of Tb(III) ion ⁵D₄ → ⁷F_J (J = 6–0) under UV radiation at room temperature. A main excitation peak (359 nm) of 2 appears under red emission of 615 nm. By contrast, all emission peak intensities of 1 were enhanced by addition of gadolinium(III), and the 545 nm band is much stronger than the 615 nm band, attributed to, under perturbation of the ligand field, the probability of ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₃ transition of Tb(III) was greatly enhanced in 2. Because of perturbation of the ligand field by addition of gadolinium(III), the probability of ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition of Tb(III) was greatly enhanced in 1 and green fluorescence was observed. The antibacterial activity showed that the two complexes were active against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis.