Blue luminescent 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazole derivative ligands and their orange luminescent mononuclear and polynuclear organoplatinum(II) complexes

Five new 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazole derivative ligands, 1,4-bis2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (1,4-bmb), 4,4'-bis2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]biphenyl (bmbp), 1-bromo-4-2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (Brmb), 1,3-bis2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (1,3-bmb), and 1,3,5-tris2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl]benzene (tmb), have been synthesized by Ullmann condensation methods. The corresponding mononuclear and polynuclear PtII complexes, Pt2(1,4-bmb)Ph4 (1), Pt2(bmbp)Ph4 (2), Pt(Brmb)Ph2 (3), Pt2(1,3-bmb)Ph4 (4), and Pt3(tmb)Ph6 (5), have been obtained by the reaction of the appropriate ligand with PtPh2(SMe2)]n. The structures of the free ligands 1,4-bmb, bmbp, and tmb, as well as the complexes 1-3, were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All ligands display fluorescent emissions in the purple/blue region of the spectrum at ambient temperature and phosphorescent emissions in the blue/green region at 77 K, which are attributable to ligand-centered pi --> pi* transition. No ligand-based emission was observed for the PtII complexes 1-5. All PtII complexes display orange/red emissions at 77 K in a frozen solution or in the solid state, attributable to metal-to-ligand charge transfers (MLCT). Variable-temperature 1H NMR experiments establish that complexes 1, 4, and 5 exist in isomeric forms in solution at ambient temperature due to the hindered rotation of the square PtC2N2 planes in the complexes.