Crystal structure and luminescence of a terbium complex with <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-methyl benzoate and 1,10-phenanthroline

A terbium p-methyl benzoate complex with 1,10-phenanthroline, Tb(p-MBA)₃(Phen)]₂ (p-MBA = p-methyl benzoate and Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), has been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes in triclinic system, space group P \(\bar 1\) with a = 12.8064(12), b = 13.3589(12), c = 19.8277(19) Å, α = 91.668(2)°, β = 97.775(2)°, γ = 106.312(2)°, C₇₂H₅₈N₄O₁₂Tb₂, M _r = 1489.06, V = 3217.6(5) ų, Z = 2, ρ _c = 1.537 g/cm³, μ(MoK _α) = 2.246 mm^?1, F(000) = 1488, the final R = 0.0622 and wR = 0.0962 for 14128 independent reflections with R _int = 0.0843. It consists of two types of crystallographically independent dimeric molecules Tb(p-MBA)₃(Phen)]₂ noted as Tb-1] and Tb-2]. In the dimeric molecule Tb-1], each Tb(III) is eight-coordinated with one Phen molecule, two bridging carboxylate groups, and two bidentate chelating carboxylate groups, while in Tb-2] each Tb(III) is eight-coordinated with one Phen molecule, four bridging carboxylate groups, and one bidentate chelating carboxylate group. The title complex shows intense green luminescence under UV light at room temperature.