Two-dimensional, pyrazine-based nonlinear optical chromophores with ruthenium(II) ammine electron donors

Six new nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores with pyrazinyl-pyridinium electron acceptors have been synthesized by complexing a known pro-ligand with electron donating {Ru(II)(NH(3))(5)}(2+) or trans-{Ru(II)(NH(3))(4)(py)}(2+) (py = pyridine) centers. These cationic complexes have been characterized as their PF(6)(-) salts by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The visible d → π* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorptions gain intensity on increasing the number of Ru(II) centers from one to two, but remain at constant energy. One or two Ru(III/II) redox processes are observed which are reversible, quasi-reversible, or irreversible, while all of the ligand-based reductions are irreversible. Molecular first hyperpolarizabilities β have been determined by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) at 1064 nm, and depolarization studies show that the NLO responses of the symmetric species are strongly two-dimensional (2D) in character, with dominant "off-diagonal" β(zyy) components. Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic measurements on the MLCT bands also allow the indirect determination of estimated static first hyperpolarizabilities β(0). Both the HRS and the Stark-derived β(0) values increase on moving from mono- to bimetallic complexes, and substantial enhancements in NLO response are achieved when compared with one-dimensional (1D) and 2D monometallic Ru(II) ammine complexes reported previously.     

Syntheses, spectroscopic and molecular quadratic nonlinear optical properties of dipolar ruthenium(II) complexes of the ligand 1,2-phenylenebis(dimethylarsine)

Six new complex salts trans-[Ru(II)Cl(pdma)2L][PF6]n [pdma = 1,2-phenylenebis(dimethylarsine); L = (E,E,E)-1,6-bis(4-pyridyl)hexa-1,3,5-triene (bph), n= 1, 5; L =N-methyl-4-[(E)-2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]pyridinium (Mebpe+), n= 2, 7; L =N-methyl-4-[(E,E)-4-(4-pyridyl)buta-1,3-dienyl]pyridinium (Mebpb+), n= 2, 8; L =N-methyl-4-[(E,E,E)-6-(4-pyridyl)hexa-1,3,5-trienyl]pyridinium (Mebph+), n= 2, 9; L = bis(4-pyridyl)acetylene (bpa), n= 1, 10; L =N-methyl-4-[2-(4-pyridyl)ethynyl]pyridinium (Mebpa+), n= 2, 11] have been prepared. The electronic absorption spectra of 5 and 7-11 display intense, visible metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands, with lambdamax values in the range 434-492 nm in acetonitrile. Cyclic voltammetric studies reveal reversible Ru(III/II) waves with E(1/2) values in the range 1.06-1.15 V vs. Ag-AgCl, together with irreversible L-based reduction processes. Along with a number of previously reported related compounds (B. J. Coe et al., J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans., 1996, 3917; 1997, 591; 2000, 797), salts 5 and 7-11 have been investigated by using Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopy in butyronitrile glasses at 77 K. These studies have afforded dipole moment changes Deltamu12 for the MLCT transitions which have been used to calculate molecular static first hyperpolarizabilities beta0 according to the two-state equation beta0= 3Deltamu12(mu12)2/(Emax)2 (mu12 = transition dipole moment, Emax = MLCT energy). MLCT absorption and electrochemical data show that a trans-[Ru(II)Cl(pdma)2]+ centre is considerably less electron-rich than a [Ru(II)(NH3)5]2+ unit. Although the beta0 responses of the pdma complexes are only a little smaller than those of their [Ru(II)(NH3)5]2+ analogues, this result is partly attributable to unexpected changes in the relative mu12 values on freezing. Thus, substantial increases in mu12 for the arsine compounds act to partially offset the beta0-decreasing influence of their higher Emax values when compared with the analogous pentaammine species. Single crystal X-ray structures have been obtained for the salts 1(.)2.5MeCN, 4(.)2MeCN, 7 and 11, but only 1(.)2.5MeCN adopts a non-centrosymmetric space group (Fdd2) such as may show bulk NLO effects.     

Pentacyanoiron(II) as an electron donor group for nonlinear optics: medium-responsive properties and comparisons with related pentaammineruthenium(II) complexes

In this article, we describe a series of complex salts in which electron-rich {Fe(II)(CN)(5)}(3)(-) centers are coordinated to pyridyl ligands with electron-accepting N-methyl/aryl-pyridinium substituents. These compounds have been characterized by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Molecular quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses have been determined by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) at 1064 nm, and also via Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies on the intense, visible d --> pi* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands. The relatively large static first hyperpolarizabilities, beta(0), increase markedly on moving from aqueous to methanol solutions, accompanied by large red-shifts in the MLCT transitions. Acidification of aqueous solutions allows reversible switching of the linear and NLO properties, as shown via both HRS and Stark experiments. Time-dependent density functional theory and finite field calculations using a polarizable continuum model yield relatively good agreement with the experimental results and confirm the large decrease in beta(0) on protonation. The Stark-derived beta(0) values are generally larger for related {Ru(II)(NH(3))(5)}(2+) complexes than for their {Fe(II)(CN)(5)}(3)(-) analogues, consistent with the HRS data in water. However, the HRS data in methanol show that the stronger solvatochromism of the Fe(II) complexes causes their NLO responses to surpass those of their Ru(II) counterparts upon changing the solvent medium.     

Extended dipolar nonlinear optical chromophores based on trans-bis[1,2-phenylenebis(dimethylarsine)]chlororuthenium(II) centers

Four new complex salts trans[RuIICl(pdma)2LA][PF6]n [pdma = 1,2-phenylenebis(dimethylarsine); LA = 1,4-bis[E-2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl]benzene (bpvb), n = 1, 1; LA = N-methyl-1,4-bis(E-2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl)benzene (Mebpvb+), n = 2, 2; LA = N-phenyl-1,4-bis(E-2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl)benzene (Phbpvb+), n = 2, 3; LA = N-(2-pyrimidyl)-1,4-bis(E-2-(4-pyridyl)ethenyl)benzene (Pymbpvb+), n = 2, 4] have been prepared. The electronic absorption spectra of 1-4 display intense, visible metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands, with lambda(max) values in the range 432-474 nm in acetonitrile. Intense intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) bands due to LA are also observed, with lambda(max) values in the range 350-416 nm. Cyclic voltammetric studies in acetonitrile reveal reversible RuIII/II waves with E(1/2) values of ca. 1.05 V vs Ag/AgCl, together with LA-based reduction processes that are irreversible with the exception of 1. Salts 1-4 have been investigated by using Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopy in butyronitrile glasses at 77 K. These studies have afforded dipole moment changes, Deltamu12, for the MLCT and ILCT transitions which have been used to calculate molecular static first hyperpolarizabilities, Beta0, according to the two-state equation Beta0 = 3Deltamu12(mu12)2/(Emax)2 (mu12 = transition dipole moment, Emax = MLCT/ILCT energy). In contrast with related RuII ammine complexes, replacement of a central E-ethylene bond with a 1,4-phenylene unit does not appear to be an especially effective strategy for combating the NLO transparency-efficiency tradeoff in these pdma complexes. Single-crystal X-ray studies with the complex salts 2 and 3 and also with the pro-ligand salt [Phbpvb+] PF6.0.5HPF6 show that these materials all adopt centrosymmetric packing structures.     

Contrasting linear and quadratic nonlinear optical behavior of dipolar pyridinium chromophores with 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl or ruthenium(II) ammine electron donor groups

In this article, we contrast the optical properties of dipolar chromophores having 4-(dimethylamino)phenyl electron donor (D) and pyridinium acceptor (A) groups with those of closely related cations having pyridyl-coordinated Ru(II) donors. A range of physical data, including that from Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopy, permits unprecedented quantitative comparisons, most notably regarding the effects of extension of bridging polyene chains. The purely organic compounds display normal optical properties in that their intense, visible pi --> pi intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) bands red-shift as the number of E-ethylene units (n) increases from 1 to 3 and the associated static first hyperpolarizabilities beta(0) increase steadily with n. The related Ru(II) complexes show intense, visible d --> pi metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands, which are found to lower energy when compared with the ICT transitions of the corresponding organics. Abnormally, these MLCT bands blue-shift as n increases, and beta(0) maximizes at n = 2. Time-dependent density-functional theory and finite field calculations verify these empirical trends for both types of compound, which can be rationalized as arising from the differing orbital structures of the chromophores and the associated degrees of D-A electronic coupling.     

Large Molecular Quadratic Hyperpolarizabilities in Donor/Acceptor-Substituted trans-Tetraammineruthenium(II) Complexes

A series of new Ru(II) complex salts trans-[Ru(NH(3))(4)(L(1))(L(2))](PF(6))(n) [n = 2, L(1) = 4-acetylpyridine (4-acpy) and L(2) = 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (dmap) (1), 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile (dmabn) (2), 4-picoline (4-pic) (3), or 1-methylimidazole (1-MeIm) (4); n = 3, L(1) = N-methyl-4,4'-bipyridinium (MeQ(+)) and L(2) = dmap (6), dmabn (7), 1-MeIm (8), 4-acpy (9), or phenothiazine (PTZ) (10); n = 2, L(1) = dmap and L(2) = 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (pyca) (12) or ethyl isonicotinate (isne) (13)] have been synthesized and fully characterized. These complexes display intense, visible metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorptions which are highly solvatochromic. An X-ray crystal structure determination has been carried out for trans-[Ru(NH(3))(4)(MeQ(+))(PTZ)](PF(6))(3).Me(2)CO (10.Me(2)CO). This salt, empirical formula C(26)H(38)F(18)N(7)OP(3)RuS, crystallizes in the hexagonal system, space group P6(3), with a = b = 17.853(4) ?, c = 21.514(6) ?, and Z = 6. The MeQ(+) ligand adopts an almost planar conformation, with a torsion angle of 9.6 degrees between the two pyridyl rings. The dipolar cations exhibit a strong projected component along the z axis, but crystal twinning precludes second-harmonic generation. Measurements of the first hyperpolarizability beta by using the hyper-Rayleigh scattering technique at 1064 nm yield very large values in the range (232-621) x 10(-30) esu, the largest being for trans-[Ru(NH(3))(4)(MeQ(+))(dmabn)](PF(6))(3) (7). These beta values are resonance enhanced via the MLCT excitations. A correlation between beta and the MLCT absorption energy confirms that this excitation is the primary contributor to beta. The two-level model yields static hyperpolarizabilities beta(0) in the range (10-130) x 10(-30) esu, with trans-[Ru(NH(3))(4)(MeQ(+))(dmap)](PF(6))(3) (6) having the largest. The beta(0) values of the complexes of the bipyridyl ligand MeQ(+) are larger than those of their analogues containing monopyridyl ligands because of extended conjugation. beta(0) correlates with the MLCT energy only when the MLCT absorption is sufficiently far from the second harmonic at 532 nm.     

Syntheses and properties of two-dimensional charged nonlinear optical chromophores incorporating redox-switchable cis-tetraammineruthenium(II) centers

In this article, we describe a series of new complex salts in which electron-donating cis-{Ru(II)(NH3)(4)}(2+) centers are connected to two electron-accepting N-methyl/aryl-pyridinium groups. These V-shaped complexes contain either monodentate 4,4'-bipyridyl-derived ligands or related chelates based on 2,2':4,4":4',4'-quaterpyridyl and have been characterized by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Molecular quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses beta have been determined by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering at 800 nm and also via Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies on the intense, visible d --> pi metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands. These experiments reveal that these dipolar pseudo-C(2v)chromophores exhibit two substantial components of the beta tensor, beta(zzz)and beta(zyy), with the difference between them being most marked for the nonchelated systems. Time-dependent density-functional theory and finite field calculations serve to further illuminate the electronic structures and associated linear and NLO properties of the new chromophoric salts.     

Highly unusual effects of pi-conjugation extension on the molecular linear and quadratic nonlinear optical properties of ruthenium(II) ammine complexes

We have used several techniques, including hyper-Rayleigh scattering and Stark spectroscopy, to investigate the effects of polyene chain length on the optical properties of complexes containing ruthenium(II) electron donor groups and pyridinium electron acceptors. In marked contrast with all other known donor-acceptor polyenes, conjugation extension beyond a single double bond in the dipolar complexes studied leads to blue-shifting of the intramolecular charge-transfer absorptions. Furthermore, the static first hyperpolarizabilities beta0 become maximized with trans-1,3-butadienyl linkages and then decrease in complexes with three CH=CH bonds. Our results clearly demonstrate that the molecular engineering criteria for metal-containing nonlinear optical chromophores can differ dramatically from those for purely organic compounds.     

Syntheses and spectroscopic and quadratic nonlinear optical properties of extended dipolar complexes with ruthenium(II) ammine electron donor and N-methylpyridinium acceptor groups

In this paper, we describe the extremely unusual optical properties of Ru(II)-based electron donor-acceptor (D-A) polyene and some closely related chromophores. For three different polyene series, the intense, visible d-->pi* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands unexpectedly blue-shift as the number of E-ethylene units (n) increases from 1 to 3, and the static first hyperpolarizabilities beta(0) determined via hyper-Rayleigh scattering and Stark spectroscopy maximize at n = 2, in marked contrast to other known D-A polyenes in which beta(0) increases steadily with n. Time-dependent density-functional theory and finite field calculations verify these empirical trends, which arise from the orbital structures of the complexes. This study illustrates that transition metal-based nonlinear optical chromophores can show very different behavior when compared with their more thoroughly studied purely organic counterparts.     

Synthesis, linear, and quadratic-nonlinear optical properties of octupolar D3 and D2d bipyridyl metal complexes

A series of D3 (Fe(II), Ru(II), Zn(II), Hg(II)) and D2d (Cu(I), Ag(I), Zn(II)) octupolar metal complexes featuring different functionalized bipyridyl ligands has been synthesized, and their thermal, linear (absorption and emission), and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties were determined. Their quadratic NLO susceptibilities were determined by harmonic light scattering at 1.91 microm, and the molecular hyperpolarizability (beta0) values are in the range of 200-657 x 10(-30) esu for octahedral complexes and 70-157 x 10(-30) esu for tetrahedral complexes. The octahedral zinc(II) complex 1 e, which contains a 4,4'-oligophenylenevinylene-functionalized 2,2'-bipyridine, exhibits the highest quadratic hyperpolarizability ever reported for an octupolar derivative (lambdamax=482 nm, beta1.91(1 e)=870 x 10(-30) esu, beta0(1 e)=657 x 10(-30) esu). Herein, we demonstrate that the optical and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties are strongly influenced by the symmetry of the complexes, the nature of the ligands (donor endgroups and pi linkers), and the nature of the metallic centers. For example, the length of the pi-conjugated backbone, the Lewis acidity of the metal ion, and the increase of ligand-to-metal ratio result in a substantial enhancement of beta. The contribution of the metal-to-ligand (MLCT) transition to the molecular hyperpolarizability is also discussed with respect to octahedral d6 complexes (M=Fe, Ru).     

Self-assembled light-harvesting systems: Ru(II) complexes assembled about Rh-Rh cores

Ru(II) polypyridine species have been assembled about dirhodium(II, II) tetracarboxylate cores. The complexes prepared have general formulas [{(terpy)Ru(La)}n{Rh2(CH3COO)4-n(CH3CN)2}]2n+ (a-type compounds: terpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine; La = 4'-(p-carboxyphenyl)-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine; n = 1, 1a; n = 2, cis-2a and trans-2a-cis and trans refer to the arrangement of the Ru(II) species around the dirhodium core; n = 3, 3a), [{(Lb)Ru(La)}n{Rh2(CH3COO)4-n(CH3CN)2}]2n+ (b-type compounds: Lb = 6-phenyl-2,4-di(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine; n = 1, 1b; n = 2, an inseparable mixture of cis-2b and trans-2b; n = 3, 3b; n = 4, 4b), and [{(terpy)Ru(Lc)}{Rh2(CH3COO)3(CH3CN)2}]2+ (1c; Lc = 6-(p-carboxyphenyl)-2,4-di(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine). As model species, also the mononuclear [(terpy)Ru(La)]2+ (5a), [(La)Ru(Lb)]2+ (5b), and [(terpy)Ru(Lc)]2+ (5c) have been prepared. All of the complexes have been characterized by several techniques, including NMR and mass spectra, and the stability of the various species is discussed. The absorption spectra of all of the compounds are dominated by the Ru(II) polypyridine moieties, showing intense ligand-centered (LC) bands in the UV region and intense metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands in the visible. The compounds exhibit several metal-centered oxidation and ligand-centered reduction processes, which have been assigned to specific subunits. Both absorption and redox data indicate a supramolecular nature of the assembled systems. Efficient energy transfer from the MLCT triplet state of the Ru-based components to the lowest-energy excited state of the dirhodium core takes place for the a-type compounds at 298 K in acetonitrile solution, whereas such a process is inefficient for the b-type and c-type species, which exhibit the typical MLCT emission. At 77 K in butyronitrile matrix, Ru-to-Rh2 energy transfer is partly efficient for both the a-type and the b-type compounds and is inefficient for 1c. The reasons for such behavior are discussed by taking into account arguments concerning the driving force and reorganization energy of the complexes.     

Nonlinear optical and two-photon absorption properties of octupolar tris(bipyridyl)metal complexes

The linear (absorption and emission) and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a series of D(3) [(Fe(II), Ru(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)] octupolar metal complexes featuring the 4,4'-bis[(dibutylamino)styryl]-2,2'-bipyridine ligand are reported. Zinc(II), nickel(II), and copper(II) complexes exhibit similar absorption spectra in the visible region (lambda(ILCT) = 474-476 nm) which are assigned to intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) bands. The quadratic and cubic NLO properties are strongly influenced by the nature of the metallic center. Harmonic light scattering studies at lambda = 1.91 microm reveal that these chromophores display large first hyperpolarizabilities beta(1.91) in the range of (211-340) x 10(-30) esu; replacing the Zn(II) metal ion by Ni(II) or Cu(II) results in a decrease of the static beta(0) coefficient by a factor of 1.5-1.6. Z-scan measurements at 765 and 965 nm reveal relatively large two-photon absorption cross-sections [650 < sigma(2) < 2200 GM], showing that both beta and sigma(2) values can be tuned by simple modification of the metal ion.     

The roles of molecular structure and effective optical symmetry in evolving dipolar chromophoric building blocks to potent octopolar nonlinear optical chromophores

A series of mono-, bis-, tris-, and tetrakis(porphinato)zinc(II) (PZn)-elaborated ruthenium(II) bis(terpyridine) (Ru) complexes have been synthesized in which an ethyne unit connects the macrocycle meso carbon atom to terpyridyl (tpy) 4-, 4'-, and 4'-positions. These supermolecular chromophores, based on the ruthenium(II) [5-(4'-ethynyl-(2,2';6',2'-terpyridinyl))-10,20-bis(2',6'-bis(3,3-dimethyl-1-butyloxy)phenyl)porphinato]zinc(II)-(2,2';6',2'-terpyridine)(2+) bis-hexafluorophosphate (RuPZn) archetype, evince strong mixing of the PZn-based oscillator strength with ruthenium terpyridyl charge resonance bands. Potentiometric and linear absorption spectroscopic data indicate that for structures in which multiple PZn moieties are linked via ethynes to a [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+) core, little electronic coupling is manifest between PZn units, regardless of whether they are located on the same or opposite tpy ligand. Congruent with these experiments, pump-probe transient absorption studies suggest that the individual RuPZn fragments of these structures exhibit, at best, only modest excited-state electronic interactions that derive from factors other than the dipole-dipole interactions of these strong oscillators; this approximate independent character of the component RuPZn oscillators enables fabrication of nonlinear optical (NLO) multipoles with extraordinary hyperpolarizabilities. Dynamic hyperpolarizability (β(λ)) values and depolarization ratios (ρ) were determined from hyper-Rayleigh light scattering (HRS) measurements carried out at an incident irradiation wavelength (λ(inc)) of 1300 nm. The depolarization ratio data provide an experimental measure of chromophore optical symmetry; appropriate coupling of multiple charge-transfer oscillators produces structures having enormous averaged hyperpolarizabilities (β(HRS) values), while evolving the effective chromophore symmetry from purely dipolar (e.g., Ru(tpy)[4-(Zn-porphyrin)ethynyl-tpy](PF(6))(2), β(HRS) = 1280 × 10(-30) esu, ρ = 3.8; Ru(tpy)[4'-(Zn-porphyrin)ethynyl-tpy](PF(6))(2), β(HRS) = 2100 × 10(-30) esu, ρ = 3.8) to octopolar (e.g., Ru[4,4'-bis(Zn-porphyrin)ethynyl-tpy](2)(PF(6))(2), β(HRS) = 1040 × 10(-30) esu, ρ = 1.46) via structural motifs that possess intermediate values of the depolarization ratio. The chromophore design roadmap provided herein gives rise to octopolar supermolecules that feature by far the largest off-diagonal octopolar first hyperpolarizability tensor components ever reported, with the effectively octopolar Ru[4,4'-bis(Zn-porphyrin)ethynyl-tpy](2)(PF(6))(2) possessing a β(HRS) value at 1300 nm more than a factor of 3 larger than that determined for any chromophore having octopolar symmetry examined to date. Because NLO octopoles possess omnidirectional NLO responses while circumventing the electrostatic interactions that drive bulk-phase centrosymmetry for NLO dipoles at high chromophore concentrations, the advent of octopolar NLO chromophores having vastly superior β(HRS) values at technologically important wavelengths will motivate new experimental approaches to achieve acentric order in both bulk-phase and thin film structures.     

New Ru(II) chromophores with extended excited-state lifetimes

We describe the synthesis, electrochemical, and photophysical properties of two new luminescent Ru(II) diimine complexes covalently attached to one and three 4-piperidinyl-1,8-naphthalimide (PNI) chromophores, [Ru(bpy)(2)(PNI-phen)](PF(6))(2) and [Ru(PNI-phen)(3)](PF(6))(2), respectively. These compounds represent a new class of visible light-harvesting Ru(II) chromophores that exhibit greatly enhanced room-temperature metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) emission lifetimes as a result of intervening intraligand triplet states ((3)IL) present on the pendant naphthalimide chromophore(s). In both Ru(II) complexes, the intense singlet fluorescence of the pendant PNI chromophore(s) is nearly quantitatively quenched and was found to sensitize the MLCT-based photoluminescence. Excitation into either the (1)IL or (1)MLCT absorption bands results in the formation of both (3)MLCT and (3)IL excited states, conveniently monitored by transient absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The relative energy ordering of these triplet states was determined using time-resolved emission spectra at 77 K in an EtOH/MeOH glass where dual emission from both Ru(II) complexes was observed. Here, the shorter-lived higher energy emission has a spectral profile consistent with that typically observed from (3)MLCT excited states, whereas the millisecond lifetime lower energy band was attributed to (3)IL phosphorescence of the PNI chromophore. At room temperature the data are consistent with an excited-state equilibrium between the higher energy (3)MLCT states and the lower energy (3)PNI states. Both complexes display MLCT-based emission with room-temperature lifetimes that range from 16 to 115 micros depending upon solvent and the number of PNI chromophores present. At 77 K it is apparent that the two triplet states are no longer in thermal equilibrium and independently decay to the ground state.     

Probing ruthenium-acetylide bonding interactions: synthesis, electrochemistry, and spectroscopic studies of acetylide-ruthenium complexes supported by tetradentate macrocyclic amine and diphosphine ligands

The synthesis and spectroscopic properties of trans-[RuL4(C[triple bond]CAr)2] (L4 = two 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane, (dmpe)2; 1,5,9,13-tetramethyl-1,5,9,13-tetraazacyclohexadecane, 16-TMC; 1,12-dimethyl-3,4:9,10-dibenzo-1,12-diaza-5,8-dioxacyclopentadecane, N2O2) are described. Investigations into the effects of varying the [RuL4] core, acetylide ligands, and acetylide chain length for the [(-)C[triple bond]C(C6H4C[triple bond]C)(n-1)Ph] and [(-)C[triple bond]C(C6H4)(n-1)Ph] (n = 1-3) series upon the electronic and electrochemical characteristics of trans-[RuL4(C[triple bond]CAr)2](0/+) are presented. DFT and TD-DFT calculations have been performed on trans-[Ru(L')4(C[triple bond]CAr)2](0/+) (L' = PH3 and NH3) to examine the metal-acetylide pi-interaction and the nature of the associated electronic transition(s). It was observed that (1) the relationship between the transition energy and 1/n for trans-[Ru(dmpe)2{C[triple bond]C(C6H4C[triple bond]C)(n-1)Ph}2] (n = 1-3) is linear, and (2) the sum of the d(pi)(Ru(II)) --> pi*(C[triple bond]CAr) MLCT energy for trans-[Ru(16-TMC or N2O2)(C[triple bond]CAr)2] and the pi(C[triple bond]CAr) --> d(pi)(Ru(III)) LMCT energy for trans-[Ru(16-TMC or N2O2)(C[triple bond]CAr)2]+ corresponds to the intraligand pi pi* absorption energy for trans-[Ru(16-TMC or N2O2)(C[triple bond]CAr)2]. The crystal structure of trans-[Ru(dmpe)2{C[triple bond]C(C6H4C[triple bond]C)2Ph}2] shows that the two edges of the molecule are separated by 41.7 A. The electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of these complexes can be systematically tuned by modifying L4 and Ar to give E(1/2) values for oxidation of trans-[RuL4(C[triple bond]CAr)2] that span over 870 mV and lambda(max) values of trans-[RuL4(C[triple bond]CAr)2] that range from 19,230 to 31,750 cm(-1). The overall experimental findings suggest that the pi-back-bonding interaction in trans-[RuL4(C[triple bond]CAr)2] is weak and the [RuL4] moiety in these molecules may be considered to be playing a "dopant" role in a linear rigid pi-conjugated rod.     

Three-dimensional nonlinear optical chromophores based on metal-to-ligand charge-transfer from ruthenium(II) or iron(II) centers

In this article, we describe a series of new complex salts in which electron-rich transition-metal centers are coordinated to three electron-accepting N-methyl/aryl-2,2':4,4' ':4',4' '-quaterpyridinium ligands. These complexes contain either Ru(II) or Fe(II) ions and have been characterized by using various techniques, including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Molecular quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses beta have been determined by using hyper-Rayleigh scattering at 800 nm and also via Stark (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies on the intense, visible d --> pi* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer bands. The latter experiments reveal that these putatively octupolar D(3) chromophores exhibit two substantial components of the beta tensor which are associated with transitions to dipolar excited states. Computations involving time-dependent density-functional theory and the finite field method serve to further illuminate the electronic structures and associated linear and NLO properties of the new chromophoric salts.     

Incorporation of amphiphilic ruthenium(II) ammine complexes into Langmuir-Blodgett thin films with switchable quadratic nonlinear optical behavior

Nine nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores with pyridinium electron acceptors have been synthesized by complexing new proligands with {Ru(II)(NH(3))(5)}(2+) electron-donor centers. The presence of long alkyl/fluoroalkyl chain substituents imparts amphiphilic properties, and these cationic complexes have been characterized as their PF(6)(-) salts by using various techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Each complex shows three reversible/quasireversible redox processes; a Ru(III/II) oxidation and two ligand-based reductions. The energies of the intense visible d → π* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorptions correlate to some extent with the ligand reduction potentials. (1)H NMR spectroscopy also provides insights into the relative electron-withdrawing strengths of the new ligands. Single crystal X-ray structures have been determined for two of the proligand salts and one complex salt, [Ru(II)(NH(3))(5)(4-C(16)H(33)PhQ(+))]Cl(3)·3.25H(2)O (PhQ(+) = N-phenyl-4,4'-bipyridinium), showing centrosymmetric packing structures in each case. The PF(6)(-) analogue of the latter complex has been used to deposit reproducibly high-quality, multilayered Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) thin films. These films show a strong second harmonic generation (SHG) response from a 1064 nm laser; their MLCT absorbance increases linearly with the number of layers (N) and I(2ω)/I(ω)(2) (I(2ω) = intensity at 532 nm; I(ω) = intensity at 1064 nm) scales quadratically with N, consistent with homogeneous deposition. LB films on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass show electrochemically induced switching of the SHG response, with a decrease in activity of about 50% on Ru(II) → Ru(III) oxidation. This effect is reversible, but reproducible over only a few cycles before the signal from the Ru(II) species diminishes. This work extrapolates our original solution studies (Coe, B. J. et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.1999, 38, 366) to the first demonstration of redox-switching of NLO activity in a molecular material.     

Theoretical analyses of the effects on the linear and quadratic nonlinear optical properties of N-arylation of pyridinium groups in stilbazolium dyes

N-Arylation of the pyridinium electron acceptor unit in stilbazolium chromophores has been found by previous experimental hyper-Rayleigh scattering and electronic Stark effect (electroabsorption) spectroscopic studies to lead to substantial increases in the static first hyperpolarizability beta(0). We show here that INDO/SCI calculations on the isolated cations trans-4'-(dimethylamino)-N-R-4-stilbazolium (R = methyl 1, phenyl 2, 2,4-dinitrophenyl 3, or 2-pyrimidyl 4) predict only slight red-shifts in the energy of the intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) transition and accompanying relatively small changes in beta(0) on moving along the series. The inclusion of acetonitrile solvent using a polarizable continuum model affords a somewhat better agreement with the experimental data, especially the red-shifting of the ICT transition and the increase in beta(0) on going from 1 to 4. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), finite field, and coupled perturbed Hartree-Fock calculations reproduce even more closely the empirical data and trends; the latter two approaches lead to the highest quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) response of the studied chromophores for 3, for which the predicted beta(0) is ca. 50-100% larger than that of the analogous N-methylated cation 1. Although the TD-DFT and INDO/SCI approaches give quite different results for ground- and excited-state dipole moments, the overall conclusions of these two methods regarding the ICT absorption and NLO responses are similar.     

Two-photon luminescence from polar bis-terpyridyl-stilbene derivatives of Ir(III) and Ru(II)

Four structurally related iridium(III) and ruthenium(II) complexes bearing two polar terpyridyl-stilbene derived chromophores 4-(4-{2-[4-(methoxy)phenyl]ethenyl}phenyl)-2,2'-6',2'-terpyridine (ttpyeneanisole) and 4-(4-{2-[phenyl]ethenyl}phenyl)-2,2'-6',2'-terpyridine (tpystilbene) have been synthesised and characterised in the solid state and in solution. In the solid state, the dihedral angle subtending the pyridyl and tolyl groups of 27.1° in the Ir(III) complex [Ir(ttpyeneanisole)(2)]·3PF(6) is more acute than in the Ru(II) derivative [Ru(tpystilbene)(2)]·2PF(6) (35.5°), indicating the presence of a greater degree of π-delocalisation across the terpyridine unit in the former compound. Their luminescence properties in fluid solution have been investigated following both resonant and non-resonant excitation. We have shown that each of the complexes undergoes two-photon excitation when excited in the near infrared (740 to 820 nm), with two-photon absorption cross sections in the range 11-67 × 10(-50) cm(4) s photon(-1). The larger cross sections for the Ir(III) complexes reflect the differences observed in the solid state. This work therefore demonstrates that such complexes are promising as luminescent markers for 3D imaging and illustrates that simple functionalisation of the chromophores and the choice of metal can lead to marked enhancements in the two-photon cross sections (σ(2)) compared to those of simpler heteroleptic polypyridyl based derivatives.     

Photochromic metal complexes: photoregulation of both the nonlinear optical and luminescent properties

A series of dithienylethene (DTE)-containing 2,2'-bipyridine ligands and their zinc(II) diacetate, zinc(II) dichloro, rhenium(I) tricarbonyl bromo, and ruthenium(II) bis(bipyridine) complexes have been designed and synthesized, and their photochromic, photophysical, and quadratic nonlinear optical properties have been studied. Upon UV irradiation at 350 nm, the ligands and complexes undergo ring closure of the DTE units, with a good to excellent photocyclization yield. In the case of the Re(I) and Ru(II) complexes, the photocyclization of the DTE units can also be triggered using visible light, upon excitation into the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands at 400 and 490 nm, respectively. Molecular quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) responses of the complexes have been determined by using either the electrical field induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) or harmonic light scattering (HLS) technique at 1910 nm. These studies reveal a large increase of the second-order NLO activity after UV irradiation and subsequent formation of the ring-closed isomers. This efficient enhancement clearly reflects the delocalization of the π-electron system and the formation of strong push-pull chromophores in the closed forms. The combination of the photochromic DTE-based bipyridine ligand with luminescent Re(I) and Ru(II) fragments also allows the photoregulation of the emission, leading to an efficient quenching of the ligand-based 77 K luminescence and demonstrating that the photocontrol of two optical properties, linear and nonlinear, could be achieved by using the same photochromic ligand.