Development of a ratiometric time-resolved luminescence sensor for pH based on lanthanide complexes

Time-resolved luminescence bioassay technique using lanthanide complexes as luminescent probes/sensors has shown great utilities in clinical diagnostics and biotechnology discoveries. In this work, a novel terpyridine polyacid derivative that can form highly stable complexes with lanthanide ions in aqueous media, (4′-hydroxy-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine-6,6′′-diyl) bis(methylenenitrilo) tetrakis(acetic acid) (HTTA), was designed and synthesized for developing time-resolved luminescence pH sensors based on its Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ complexes. The luminescence characterization results reveal that the luminescence intensity of HTTA–Eu³⁺ is strongly dependent on the pH values in weakly acidic to neutral media (pK_a = 5.8, pH 4.8–7.5), while that of HTTA–Tb³⁺ is pH-independent. This unique luminescence response allows the mixture of HTTA–Eu³⁺ and HTTA–Tb³⁺ (the HTTA–Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ mixture) to be used as a ratiometric luminescence sensor for the time-resolved luminescence detection of pH with the intensity ratio of its Tb³⁺ emission at 540 nm to its Eu³⁺ emission at 610 nm, I_540 nm/I_610 nm, as a signal. Moreover, the UV absorption spectrum changes of the HTTA–Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ mixture at different pHs (pH 4.0–7.0) also display a ratiometric response to the pH changes with the ratio of absorbance at 290 nm to that at 325 nm, A_290 nm/A_325 nm, as a signal. This feature enables the HTTA–Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ mixture to have an additional function for the pH detection with the absorption spectrometry technique. For loading the complexes into the living cells, the acetoxymethyl ester of HTTA was synthesized and used for loading HTTA–Eu³⁺ and HTTA–Tb³⁺ into the cultured HeLa cells. The luminescence imaging results demonstrated the practical utility of the new sensor for the time-resolved luminescence cell imaging application.     

Syntheses and structures of p-HOOCC6F4COOH · H2O (H2L · H2O) and luminescent coordination polymers [Tb2(H2O)4(L)3 · 2H2O] n and Tb2(Phen)2(L)3 · 2H2O

Compounds p-HOOCC₆F₄COOH · H₂O (H₂L · H₂O), [Tb₂(H₂O)₄(L)₃ · 2H₂O] _n (I), and Tb₂(Phen)₂(L)₃ · 2H₂O (II) are synthesized. According to the X-ray structure analysis data, the crystal structure of H₂L · H₂O is built of centrosymmetric molecules H₂L and molecules of water of crystallization. The crystal structure of compound I is built of layers of coordination 2D polymer [Tb₂(H₂O)₄(L)₃] _n and molecules of water of crystallization. The ligands are the L^2? anions performing both the tetradentate bridging and pentadentate bridging-chelating functions. The coordination polyhedron TbO₉ is a distorted three-capped trigonal prism. Acid H₂L manifests photoluminescence in the UV region (??_max = 368 nm). Compounds I and II have the green luminescence characteristic of the Tb³⁺ ions, and the band with ??_max = 545 nm (transition ⁵ D ₄?? ⁷ F ₅) is maximum in intensity. The photoluminescence intensity of compound II is higher than that for compound I.     

Enoxacin—Tb3+ Complex as an Environmentally Friendly Fluorescence Probe for Coenzyme A and Its Application

Abstract

A new spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of trace amounts of coenzyme A using enoxacin–Tb³⁺ as a fluorescent probe. In the presence of periodic acid (H₅IO₆), coenzyme A could remarkably enhance the fluorescence intensity of the Tb³⁺–enoxacin complex at 545 nm at pH 5.4. The optimal conditions for the determination of coenzyme A were also investigated. This method could be successfully applied to assess coenzyme A in injection and biological samples. Moreover, the enhancement mechanism of the fluorescence intensity of the coenzyme A–Tb³⁺–enoxacin system in the presence of H₅IO₆ was also discussed.     

A Golgi Apparatus-Targeting,Naphthalimide-Based Fluorescent Molecular Probe for the Selective Sensing of Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde (FA) is a colorless, flammable, foul-smelling chemical used in building materials and in the production of numerous household chemical goods. Herein, a fluorescent chemosensor for FA is designed and prepared using a selective organ-targeting probe containing naphthalimide as a fluorophore and hydrazine as a FA-binding site. The amine group of the hydrazine reacts with FA to form a double bond and this condensation reaction is accompanied by a shift in the absorption band of the probe from 438 nm to 443 nm upon the addition of FA. Further, the addition of FA is shown to enhance the emission band at 532 nm relative to the very weak fluorescent emission of the probe itself. Moreover, a high specificity is demonstrated towards FA over other competing analytes such as the calcium ion (Ca²⁺), magnesium ion (Mg²⁺), acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, salicylaldehyde, glucose, glutathione, sodium sulfide (Na₂S), sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and the tert-butylhydroperoxide radical. A typical two-photon dye incorporated into the probe provides intense fluorescence upon excitation at 800 nm, thus demonstrating potential application as a two-photon fluorescent probe for FA sensing. Furthermore, the probe is shown to exhibit a fast response time for the sensing of FA at room temperature and to facilitate intense fluorescence imaging of breast cancer cells upon exposure to FA, thus demonstrating its potential application for the monitoring of FA in living cells. Moreover, the presence of the phenylsulfonamide group allows the probe to visualize dynamic changes in the targeted Golgi apparatus. Hence, the as-designed probe is expected to open up new possibilities for unique interactions with organ-specific biological molecules with potential application in early cancer cell diagnosis.     

Solvent-dependent turn-on probe for dual monitoring of Ag and Zn in living biological samples

A novel, solvent-dependent “off–on” probe with benzoylthiourea moiety as the functional receptor and fluorescein as the fluorophore was designed for monitoring of Ag⁺ in EtOH–H₂O (2:8, v/v) solution and Zn²⁺ in CH₃CN–H₂O (2:8, v/v) solution at physiological range with sufficient selectivity and sensitivity. The Ag⁺ promoted desulfurization of thiosemicarbazide functionality in formation of the 1,3,4-oxadiazole and the coordination of Zn²⁺ to the O atom and N atom of the spoirolactam moiety and the S atom of the benzoylthiourea moiety were investigated to be the power that promoted the fluorescent enhancement. This probe was tested highly suitable for mapping Ag⁺ and Zn²⁺ in living human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells and microbial cell–EPS–mineral aggregates, thus, providing a wonderful candidate for tracking Ag⁺ and Zn²⁺ in biological organisms and processes.     

A template-free solvothermal synthesis and photoluminescence properties of multicolor Gd2O2S:xTb3+, yEu3+ hollow spheres

The multicolor Gd₂O₂S:xTb³⁺, yEu³⁺ hollow spheres were successfully synthesized via a template-free solvothermal route without the use of surfactant from commercially available Ln (NO₃)₃·6H₂O (Ln = Gd, Tb and Eu), absolute ethanol, ethanediamine and sublimed sulfur as the starting materials. The phase, structure, particle morphology and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the as-obtained products were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and photoluminescence spectra. The influence of synthetic time on phase, structure and morphology was systematically investigated and discussed. The possible formation mechanism depending on synthetic time t for the Gd₂O₂S phase has been presented. These results demonstrate that the Gd₂O₂S hollow spheres could be obtained under optimal condition, namely solvothermal temperature T = 220 °C and synthetic time t = 16 h. The as-obtained Gd₂O₂S sample possesses hollow sphere structure, which has a typical size of about 2.5 μm in diameter and about 0.5 μm in shell thickness. PL spectroscopy reveals that the strongest emission peak for the Gd₂O₂S:xTb³⁺ and the Gd₂O₂S:yEu³⁺ samples is located at 545 nm and 628 nm, corresponding to ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transitions of Tb³⁺ ions and ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transitions of Eu³⁺ ions, respectively. The quenching concentration of Tb³⁺ ions and Eu³⁺ ions is 7%. In the case of Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺ co-doped samples, when the concentration of Tb³⁺ or Eu³⁺ ions is 7%, the optimum concentration of Eu³⁺ or Tb³⁺ ions is determined to be 1%. Under 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light excitation, the Gd₂O₂S:7%Tb³⁺, the Gd₂O₂S:7%Tb³⁺,1%Eu³⁺ and the Gd₂O₂S:7%Eu³⁺ samples give green, yellow and red light emissions, respectively. And the corresponding CIE coordinates vary from (0.3513, 0.5615), (0.4120, 0.4588) to (0.5868, 0.3023), which is also well consistent with their luminous photographs.     

Dual Mechanism of an Intramolecular Charge Transfer (ICT)–FRET‐Based Fluorescent Probe for the Selective Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide

A dual‐mechanism intramolecular charge transfer (ICT)–FRET fluorescent probe for the selective detection of H₂O₂ in living cells has been designed and synthesized. This probe used a coumarin–naphthalimide hybrid as the FRET platform and a boronate moiety as the recognition group. Upon the addition of H₂O₂, the probe exhibited a redshifted (73 nm) fluorescence emission, and the ratio of fluorescence intensities at λ =558 and 485 nm (F ₅₅₈/F ₄₈₅) shifted notably (up to 100‐fold). Moreover, there was a good linearity (R ²=0.9911) between the ratio and concentration of H₂O₂ in the range of 0 to 60 μm , with a limit of detection of 0.28 μm (signal to noise ratio (S/N)=3). This probe could also detect enzymatically generated H₂O₂. Importantly, it could be used to visualize endogenous H₂O₂ produced by stimulation from epidermal growth factor.     

Facile and Controllable Synthesis of Monodisperse CaF2 and CaF2:Ce3+/Tb3+ Hollow Spheres as Efficient Luminescent Materials and Smart Drug Carriers

Highly uniform and well‐dispersed CaF₂ hollow spheres with tunable particle size (300–930 nm) have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process. Their shells are composed of numerous nanocrystals (about 40 nm in diameter). The morphology and size of the CaF₂ products are strongly dependent on experimental parameters such as reaction time, pH value, and organic additives. The size of the CaF₂ hollow spheres can be controlled from 300 to 930 nm by adjusting the pH value. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements suggest that mesopores (av 24.6 nm) exist in these hollow spheres. In addition, Ce³⁺/Tb³⁺‐codoped CaF₂ hollow spheres can be prepared similarly, and show efficient energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Tb³⁺ and strong green photoluminescence of Tb³⁺ (541 nm, ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺, the highest quantum efficiency reaches 77 %). The monodisperse CaF₂:Ce³⁺/Tb³⁺ hollow spheres also have desirable properties as drug carriers. Ibuprofen‐loaded CaF₂:Ce³⁺/Tb³⁺ samples still show green luminescence of Tb³⁺ under UV irradiation, and the emission intensity of Tb³⁺ in the drug‐carrier system varies with the released amount of ibuprofen, so that drug release can be easily tracked and monitored by means of the change in luminescence intensity. The formation mechanism and luminescent and drug‐release properties were studied in detail.     

Strong upconversion–downshifting green emission from Tb<Superscript>3+</Superscript> ions in core/shell/shell-structured nanophosphors

Efficient upconversion (UC)–downshifting (DS), dual-mode-emitting NaGdF₄:Yb,Tm/NaGdF₄:Tb/NaYF₄ core/shell/shell (C/S/S) nanophosphors (NPs) were synthesized. The UC luminescence color changed from blue to sky blue after doping Tb³⁺ into NaGdF₄ shell because Tb³⁺ emission peaks via ⁵D₄ → ⁷F_J transition were observed with Tm³⁺ emission peaks via ¹D₂ → ³F₄ and ¹G₄ → ³H₆ transitions through the energy migration UC process of Yb³⁺ → Tm³⁺ → Gd³⁺ → Tb³⁺. Upon increasing the Tb³⁺ concentration in the NaGdF₄ shell from 5 to 15%, the Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage (CIE) color coordinates changed from (0.2188, 0.2390) to (0.2616, 0.3654). When NaGdF₄:Yb(49%),Tm(1%)/NaGdF₄:Tb(15%)/NaYF₄ NPs were excited using 273 nm ultraviolet light, the C/S/S NPs exhibited bright green light with CIE color coordinates of (0.3354, 0.5090) as a result of energy transfer from Gd³⁺ to Tb³⁺. These bright UC–DS, dual-mode-emitting C/S/S NPs could be applied in various applications, including multiplexed imaging and anticounterfeiting.     

Rare earth complexes chemiluminescence catalyzed by gold nanoparticles for fast sensing of Tb3+ and Eu3+

Developing multiplex sensing technique is of great significance for fast sample analysis. However, the broad emissions of most chemiluminescence(CL) luminophores make the multiplex CL analysis be difficult. In this work, a simple and sensitive CL analytical method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of Tb³⁺and Eu³⁺thanking to their narrow band emission. The technique was based on a mixed CL system of periodate(IO₄^-)-hydrogen peroxide(...     

Fluorescence,ion binding,and viscosity properties of poly[2‐ and 4‐vinylpyridine]s in methanol and in sulfuric acid

Fluorescence intensities of poly(2‐vinylpyridine) (P2VP) and poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (P4VP) in H₂SO₄/H₂O solutions were increased with increasing acid concentration. The intensities for P2VP were found to be six times stronger than that of P4VP. These differences were accounted for by the microenvironment of protonated pyridinium group. The ion binding properties of 4‐methylpyridine (4MP), P2VP, and P4VP were investigated in methanol using Tb³⁺ as a fluorescence probe. The increase of fluorescence intensity of Tb³⁺ in [P2VP–Tb³⁺] and [P4VP–Tb³⁺] complexes is due to both the replacement of the inner coordinated methanol molecules and ligand‐to‐metal energy transfer. The model compound 4MP was inefficient from this point of view, and the results were attributed to the polymer cooperative effect. Reduced viscosities of poly(vinylpyridine)s (PVP) in methanol were similar to nonionic polymers; however, when TbCl₃ was added into the solution, the viscosities increased upon dilution. These results also indicated that PVP form complexes with Tb³⁺ in methanol. When diluted, the counterions Cl⁻ are allowed to dissociate and the charged polymer expands. Consequently, the solution's viscosity increases. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1341–1345, 1999     

Novel bifunctional lanthanide‐centered nanophosphors for latent fingerprint detection and anti‐counterfeiting applications

Production of hybrid organic/inorganic complexes such as lanthanide phosphors in the nanodomain for human fingerprint visualization and anti‐counterfeiting ink under biocompatible UVA and blue light has not yet been studied that thoroughly. This paper presents the preparation of novel, bifunctional, green and red nanophosphors based on Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ complexes with quinolinone ligand (H₂L). They have been prepared and characterized for latent fingerprint detection and anti‐counterfeiting ink applications. The analytical data confirm that the ligand acts in a monoanionic bidentate manner through OO donor sites, forming mononuclear complexes, formulated as [Ln(HL)₃(C₂H₅OH)₃] (Ln = Eu³⁺ or Tb³⁺; L = 1‐ethyl‐4‐hydroxy‐3‐(nitroacetyl)quinolin‐2‐(1H)‐one). The Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ complexes have nanospherical morphologies with average particle sizes of 17 and 5 nm, respectively. Pure red and green photoluminescence with long lifetime values has been obtained from the Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ complexes, respectively, under non‐harmful UVA and blue illumination. Latent fingerprint details, including their characteristic three levels, have been clearly identified from various forensic (non‐porous, semi‐porous, highly fluorescent porous) substrates using red (Eu³⁺) and green (Tb³⁺) nanophosphors. The green nanophosphor powder has a greater capability for visualizing latent fingerprints from highly fluorescent porous surfaces as compared to the red one. Both nanophosphor complexes have been used to develop luminescent ink for anti‐counterfeiting applications.     

A simple and sensitive resonance scattering spectral method for determination of hydroxyl radical in Fenton system using rhodamine S and its application to screening the antioxidant

Based on resonance scattering (RS) effect of rhodamine dye association particles, a new resonance scattering method for the determination of hydroxyl free radical from Fenton reaction was developed. In HCl-NaAc buffer solution, the OH of Fenton reaction oxidized the excess I⁻ to I₃⁻. The I₃⁻ combined, respectively, with rhodamine B (RhB), butyl rhodamine B (b-RhB), rhodamine 6G (RhG) and rhodamine S (RhS) to form association particles that exhibit stronger resonance scattering effect at 420 nm and 610 nm. However, the RS peak at about 610 nm was interfered with its synchronous fluorescence peak at 580 nm for RhB, 580 nm for b-RhB, 560 nm for RhG and 560 nm for RhS, respectively. The concentration of H₂O₂ in the range of 0.648-21.6 μmol/L, 0.423-13.0 μmol/L, 0.216-13.0 μmol/L and 0.092-13.0 μmol/L was linear to its resonance scattering intensity at 420 nm. Its detection limit was 0.15 μmol/L, 0.10 μmol/L, 0.092 μmol/L and 0.044 μmol/L, H₂O₂, respectively. This RhS RS method was applied to selection of the antioxidant, with satisfactory results.     

FRET‐Based Mitochondria‐Targetable Dual‐Excitation Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for Monitoring Hydrogen Sulfide in Living Cells

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is connected with various physiological and pathological functions. However, understanding the important functions of H₂S remains challenging, in part because of the lack of tools for detecting endogenous H₂S. Herein, compounds Ratio‐H₂S 1/2 are the first FRET‐based mitochondrial‐targetable dual‐excitation ratiometric fluorescent probes for H₂S on the basis of H₂S‐promoted thiolysis of dinitrophenyl ether. With the enhancement of H₂S concentration, the excitation peak at λ≈402 nm of the phenolate form of the hydroxycoumarin unit drastically increases, whereas the excitation band centered at λ≈570 nm from rhodamine stays constant and can serve as a reference signal. Thus, the ratios of fluorescence intensities at λ=402 and 570 nm (I₄₀₂/I₅₇₀) exhibit a drastic change from 0.048 in the absence of H₂S to 0.36 in the presence of 180 μM H₂S; this is a 7.5‐fold variation in the excitation ratios. The favorable properties of the probe include the donor and acceptor excitation bands, which exhibit large excitation separations (up to 168 nm separation) and comparable excitation intensities, high sensitivity and selectivity, and function well at physiological pH. In addition, it is demonstrated that the probe can localize in the mitochondria and determine H₂S in living cells. It is expected that this strategy will lead to the development of a wide range of mitochondria‐targetable dual‐excitation ratiometric probes for other analytes with outstanding spectral features, including large separations between the excitation wavelengths and comparable excitation intensities.     

A fluorescent probe based on N-butylbenzene-1,2-diamine for Cu(II) and its imaging in living cells

A fluorescent probe LZ-N with naphthalimide as fluorophore and N-butylbenzene-1,2-diamine as a new recognition moiety for copper ion was designed and synthesized. The probe LZ-N exhibits high selectivity for Cu²⁺ ion in aqueous media (CH₃CN:H₂O = 1:1) over all the other metal ions in our study, more than 20-fold fluorescence enhancement by coordinating with Cu²⁺, and the maximum emission intensity independence in the range of pH 2.06–9.25. The results of ¹H-NMR titration, time-resolved fluorescence decay measurement, and computational optimization illuminate the mechanisms of Cu²⁺ and probe LZ-N. Confocal fluorescence images and cell viability values test show the high fluorescence enhancement of probe LZ-N for exogenous Cu²⁺ in living cells.     

Crystal structures and luminescent properties of lanthanide nitrate coordination polymers with structurally related amide type bridging podands

A one-dimensional linear chain coordination polymer [ErL^I(NO₃)₃(CH₃CO₂Et)]_n (L^I=1,2-bis{[(2'-furfurylaminoformyl)phenoxyl]methyl}benzene) and a one-dimensional zig-zag coordination polymer {[TbL^II(NO₃)₃(H₂O)]·(H₂O)}_n (L^II=1,2-bis{[2'-(2-pyridylmethylaminoformyl)phenoxyl]methyl}benzene) were assembled by two structurally related bridging podands L^I and L^II which have uniform skeleton and different terminal groups. In {[TbL^II(NO₃)₃(H₂O)]·(H₂O)}_n, the neutral chains were linked by the hydrogen bonding interactions between the free and coordinated water molecules from two different directions to interpenetrate into a 3D supramolecular structure. At the same time, the luminescent properties of the solid Tb(III) nitrate complexes of these podands were investigated at room temperature. The lowest triplet state energy levels T₁ of the podands L^I and L^II indicate that the triplet state energy levels of the antennae are both above the lowest excited resonance level of ⁵D₄ of Tb³⁺ ion. Thus the absorbed energy could be transferred from ligands to the central Tb³⁺ ions. And the influence of the hydrogen bonding on the luminescence efficiencies of the coordination polymers was also discussed.     

Synthesis and luminescent properties of Tb-activated yttrium indium germanate phosphor

An yttrium indium germanate YInGe₂O₇ and YInGe₂O₇:Tb³⁺ was synthesized using a vibrating milled solid-state reaction with metal oxides. The structure was characterized by its X-ray powder diffraction pattern. All of the peaks can be attributed to the monoclinic YInGe₂O₇ phase, as increasing the Tb³⁺ ion concentrations and the full-width of the half-maximum (fwhm) of these peaks did not cause any obvious differences in the increase in Tb³⁺ concentration. The CIE color coordinates were all in the green region. The phosphor exhibited a bright green emission at 542 nm under excitation at 378 and 258 nm, which belongs to the ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺ ions. There were two kinds of emission mechanism in YInGe₂O₇:Tb³⁺: (1) under excitation at 378 nm, time-resolved ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition shows a single exponential decay even when all sites are occupied by Tb³⁺ ions; (2) under excitation at 258 nm, the excited energy was absorbed by the host crystal then transferred effectively to the Tb³⁺ ion which caused the decay curves for the ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition to show non-exponential behavior. There is a maximum value for photoluminescence intensity when the Tb³⁺ concentration is 100 mol% with CIE color coordinates of x=0.252; y=0.595. The concentration quenching effect was not observed, because the YInGe₂O₇:Tb³⁺ structure gradually changed to a thortveitite-like structure with increasing Tb³⁺ concentration.     

Comprehensive study on compositional modification of Tb3+ doped zinc phosphate glass

Series of glass composition (60-x) P₂O₅ -40 ZnO –(x) Tb₂O₃ where x = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mol % are prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR and the photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy are used to characterize the physical, structural and optical behavior of the glass sample. The XRD pattern confirms the amorphous nature and DTA verified the thermal stability of all the glass samples. Glass with 1.5 mol % of Tb₂O₃ possesses the highest thermal stability. Glass density is found to increase proportionally with increasing amount of Tb³⁺ while the molar volume behaves reversely. Six main IR absorption bands centered at about 540, 748, 891, 1085 and 1294 cm^{− 1} are evidenced. The UV-Vis NIR absorption spectra reveals the absorption center band at about 540, 376, 488 and 1920 nm corresponding to the absorption from ⁷F₆ ground state to various excited state of Tb³⁺ ion. The optical band gaps for direct and indirect transition are in the range 4.53–5.07 eV and 4.30 eV-4.56 eV respectively. The Urbach energy decreases with the increasing concentration of Tb₂O₃. The PL emission spectra reveals several prominent peaks at 413, 435, 457, 488, 540, 585 and 620 nm due to electronic transition from ⁵D₃→⁷F₅, ⁵D₃→⁷F₄, ⁵D₃→⁷F₃, ⁵D₄→⁷F₆, ⁵D₄→⁷F₅, ⁵D₄→⁷F₃ and ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ respectively.     

Syntheses and crystal structures of nine-coordinate K2[EuIII(dtpa)(H2O)]·5H2O and Na2[TbIII(Httha)]·6H2O complexes

The title complexes, K₂[Eu^III(dtpa)(H₂O)]·5H₂O (H₅dtpa = diethylenetriamine-N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentaacetic acid), Na₂[Tb^III(Httha)]·6H₂O (H₆ttha = triethylenetetramine-N,N,N′,N′,N″,N″-hexaacetic acid), were prepared, and their compositions and structures were determined by elemental analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The crystal of K₂[Eu^III(dtpa)(H₂O)]·5H₂O belongs to triclinic crystal system and $ P\bar 1 $ P\bar 1 space group. The crystal data are as follows: a = 8.3540(17), b = 10.147(2), c = 15.059(3) α = 84.63(3)?, β = 82.02(3)°, γ = 83.96(3)°, V = 1253.1(4)?³, Z = 2, R = 0.0325 and wR = 0.1013 for 4407 observed reflections with I ≥ 2σ(I). The [Eu^III(dtpa)(H₂O)]²⁻ has a nine-coordinate pseudo-monocapped square antiprismatic structure, in which the nine coordinate atoms, three N and six O are from one dtpa ligand and one water molecule. The crystal of the Na2[Tb^III(Httha)]·6H₂O belongs to monoclinic system and P2₁/c space group. The crystal data are as follows: a = 10.3976(10), b = 12.7908(13), c = 23.199(2) ? = 90.914(2)°, V = 3084.9(5)?³, Z = 4, R = 0.0309 and wR = 0.0704 for 5429 observed reflections with I ≥ 2σ(I). In the [Tb^III(Httha)]²⁻, the Tb³⁺ ion is nine-coordinated yielding a pseudo-monocapped square antiprismatic conformation, in which the ttha ligand coordinates to the central Tb³⁺ ion with four N atoms and five O atoms. There is a free non-coordinate carboxyl group (−CH₂COOH) that can be modified by some biological molecules having target function.     

Exceptionally Long‐Lived Luminescence Emitted from TbIII Ion Caged in an AgI–TbIII–Thiacalix[4]arene Supramolecular Complex in Water

The compositions and photophysical properties of luminescent ternary complexes of thiacalix[4]arene‐p‐sulfonate (TCAS), Tb^III, and Ag^I ions were determined. At pH 6, Ag^I₂?Tb^III₂?TCAS₂ formed. Moreover, at pH 10, in the presence of a 20‐fold excess of Ag^I and a 50‐fold excess of TCAS with respect to Tb^III, Ag^I₂?Tb^III?TCAS₂ formed as the main luminescent species. The structure of these complexes was proposed: two TCAS ligands are linked by two S–Ag^I–S linkages to adopt a double‐cone supramolecular structure. Furthermore, each Tb^III ion in the former complex accepts O^?, S, O^? donation, whereas in the latter, the Tb^III center accepts eightfold O^? donation. The luminescence quantum yield (Φ) of Ag^I₂?Tb^III₂?TCAS₂ (0.16) was almost equal to that of Tb^III?TCAS, but the luminescence lifetime τ of the former (=1.09 ms) was larger than that of the latter. For Ag^I₂?Tb^III?TCAS₂, the yield Φ (=0.11) was small, which is attributed to the low efficiency of photosensitization (η=0.11). However, the τ value (4.61 ms) was exceptionally large and almost equal to the natural luminescence lifetime of Tb^III (4.7 ms), which is due to the absence of coordinating water molecules (q=0.1). This is compatible with the proposed structure in which the Tb^III ion is shielded by a supramolecular cage that expels coordinated water molecules responsible for luminescence quenching.