Highly sensitive determination of lanthanides by capillary electrophoresis with direct visible detection after precapillary complexation with aromatic polyaminocarboxylate and additionally applying dynamic ternary complexation with nitrilotriacetic acid

A newly synthesized aromatic polyaminocarboxylate (NBD-ABEDTA, H(4)L) was applied to precapillary derivatizing capillary electrophoresis as a chelating reagent for lanthanide ions (Ln(3+)). The Ln-L complexes provide both kinetic stability on dissociation due to their methyl-EDTA coordinating structure, and high light absorptivity (epsilon(max) = 2.4 x 10(4) cm(-1) mol(-1) dm(3)) in the visible region at 469 nm thanks to their nitrobenzofurazan moiety. A ligand was employed for capillary zone electrophoresis based on a unique concept: both precapillary and dynamic on-capillary complexation were carried out on one center-metal ion to achieve high resolution. As a ternary complex-formation agent, iminodiacetate (IDA), bound to the mother complex (Ln-L), was added to the carrier buffer solution. The carrier buffer solution of 9.5 mmol.dm(-3) (pH 9.45) borate and 33.5 mmol.dm(-3) IDA, drastically improved the resolution among Ln(3+) ions. Each of the Ln complexes was effectively separated, except for Pr-Sm. Furthermore, the absence of L from the carrier solution, which stabilizes the baseline fluctuation, provided low LOD (typically 4.2 x 10(-7) mol.dm(-3)). This strongly suggests that Ln-L complexes are kinetically stable even with a large excess of IDA. Quite unexpectedly, the order of migration differs from that of the atomic number, inverting at Nd. This is due to the effect of the cavity size of the residual coordination sites on the ternary complexation and the electronic density of Ln(3+).     

Direct fluorometric detection of paramagnetic and heavy metal ions at sub-amol level using an aromatic polyaminocarboxylate by CZE: Combination of pre- and on-capillary complexation technique

The low sensitivity of simple CZE for detecting metal ions is a long-standing problem even when an LIF detection system is employed. We have successfully achieved an ultrasensitive CE-LIF using a simple CZE mode (typical detection limit: 10(-11)-10(-10) mol/dm(3)). Both the design of a newly synthesized ligand and the combination of a precapillary derivatizing technique with an on-capillary ternary complexing technique have enabled us to achieve this extremely low LOD and high resolution of large metal complexes. The direct fluorescent detection of the paramagnetic metal ions was achieved for the first time despite their intrinsic fluorescent quenching nature. The fluorescent ligand (L) consists of a polyaminocarboxylate chelating moiety, a strongly emissive fluorescein moiety and a spacer connecting the two portions. The migration behavior of various metal-L complexes was investigated. The resolution among the complexes was improved by the introduction of a ternary complex equilibrium of the kinetically stable mother complexes with OH(-) ion. The analytical potential of our simple system was examined, and it was proved that the system was one of the most sensitive methods without the need for any preconcentration process.     

Simultaneous detection of [metal(II)-tpen]2+ as kinetically inert cationic complexes using pre-capillary derivatization electrophoresis: an application to biological samples

A high resolution of doubly charged first row transition (Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn) and heavy metal (Pb, Cd, Hg) ions was achieved in capillary electrophoresis (CE) with high sensitivity (sub-micromol dm(-3) level), using NN,N'N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) as a pre-capillary derivatizing agent. The non-charged reagent, TPEN, was applied to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for the first time. Since complete spatial separation between the complexes and the ligand was carried out in a carrier buffer, which was free of TPEN, kinetic inertness of metal complexes was necessary for the detection in this pre-capillary method. All the nine listed metal complexes were detected: Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Al(3+), Fe(3+), and Co(3+) complexes were undetectable. This, interestingly, suggests that those nine cations form kinetically inert tpen complexes without strong charge-charge interactions between the metal ion and the ligand. It is expected that the hard-soft-acid-base (HSAB) principle governed the kinetics selectivity. With respect to the electrophoretic behavior, the addition of chloride ion and methanol to the carrier significantly improved the resolution. This is due to the formation of ternary complexes or ion aggregates and the solvation effect, respectively. These effects provided a satisfactory baseline resolution among the nine metal ions. An application to biological samples was demonstrated. Some metal ions in human serum and urine were successfully detected in a simple process without the need for deproteinization using a non-coated fused-silica capillary because of the differenciation in the direction of migration between organic matter and complexes.     

On-capillary complexation of metal ions with 4-(2-thiazolylazo)resorcinol in capillary electrophoresis

Co(II), Zn(II), Ni(II) and Fe(I) were successfully separated by capillary electrophoresis using pre-capillary and on-capillary complexation with 4-(2-thiazolylazo)resorcinol. The influences of some crucial parameters, including both pre- and on-capillary complexation procedure, were investigated. For on-capillary complexation, the complexing reaction was carried out inside the capillary by mixing the zones of ligand and sample during the electrophoretic migration. Compared with pre-capillary complexation, the method provided 30-fold reduction in detection limits for Co(II), 50-fold reduction for Zn(II), and 100-fold reduction for Ni(II) and Fe(II). It was used for the analysis of a pharmaceutical and tap water sample.     

Separation of metal ions and metal-containing species by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, including utilisation of metal ions in separations of other species

The use of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) for the separation of metal ions and metal-containing species is reviewed, together with the use of metal ions as a means to separate other species. Topics covered include the manipulation of separation selectivity through the use of complexation reactions induced by addition of a metal ion to the background electrolyte, enantiomeric separations facilitated through metal-analyte interactions, separation of organometallic species, separation of stable metal complexes in which the entire complex is the analyte and the separation of metal ions as analytes using pre-capillary or on-capillary complexation reactions with a suitable ligand.     

Highly Efficient Visible‐to‐NIR Luminescence of Lanthanide(III) Complexes with Zwitterionic Ligands Bearing Charge‐Transfer Character: Beyond Triplet Sensitization

Two zwitterionic‐type ligands featuring π–π* and intraligand charge‐transfer (ILCT) excited states, namely 1,1′‐(2,3,5,6‐tetramethyl‐1,4‐phenylene)bis(methylene)dipyridinium‐4‐olate (TMPBPO) and 1‐dodecylpyridin‐4(1 H)‐one (DOPO), have been prepared and applied to the assembly of lanthanide coordination complexes in an effort to understand the ligand‐direction effect on the structure of the Ln complexes and the ligand sensitization effect on the luminescence of the Ln complexes. Due to the wide‐band triplet states plus additional ILCT excitation states extending into lower energy levels, broadly and strongly sensitized photoluminescence of f→f transitions from various Ln³⁺ ions were observed to cover the visible to near‐infrared (NIR) regions. Among which, the Pr, Sm, Dy, and Tm complexes simultaneously display both strong visible and NIR emissions. Based on the isostructural feature of the Ln complexes, color tuning and single‐component white light was achieved by preparation of solid solutions of the ternary systems Gd‐Eu‐Tb (for TMPBPO) and La‐Eu‐Tb and La‐Dy‐Sm (for DOPO). Moreover, the visible and NIR luminescence lifetimes of the Ln complexes with the TMPBPO ligand were investigated from 77 to 298 K, revealing a strong temperature dependence of the Tm³⁺ (³H₄) and Yb³⁺ (²F_5/2) decay dynamics, which has not been explored before for their coordination complexes.     

N-Heterocyclic tridentate aromatic ligands bound to [Ln(hexafluoroacetylacetonate)3] units: thermodynamic, structural, and luminescent properties

Herein, we discuss how, why, and when cascade complexation reactions produce stable, mononuclear, luminescent ternary complexes, by considering the binding of hexafluoroacetylacetonate anions (hfac(-)) and neutral, semi-rigid, tridentate 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine ligands (Lk) to trivalent lanthanide atoms (Ln(III)). The solid-state structures of [Ln(Lk)(hfac)(3)] (Ln=La, Eu, Lu) showed that [Ln(hfac)(3)] behaved as a neutral six-coordinate lanthanide carrier with remarkable properties: 1) the strong cohesion between the trivalent cation and the didentate hfac anions prevented salt dissociation; 2) the electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl substituents limited charge-neutralization and favored cascade complexation with Lk; 3) nine-coordination was preserved for [Ln(Lk)(hfac)(3)] for the complete lanthanide series, whilst a counterintuitive trend showed that the complexes formed with the smaller lanthanide elements were destabilized. Thermodynamic and NMR spectroscopic studies in solution confirmed that these characteristics were retained for solvated molecules, but the operation of concerted anion/ligand transfers with the larger cations induced subtle structural variations. Combined with the strong red photoluminescence of [Eu(Lk)(hfac)(3)], the ternary system Ln(III)/hfac(-)/Lk is a promising candidate for the planned metal-loading of preformed multi-tridentate polymers.     

Luminescence tuning of imidazole-based lanthanide(III) complexes [Ln = Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy

To tune the lanthanide luminescence in related molecular structures, we synthesized and characterized a series of lanthanide complexes with imidazole-based ligands: two tripodal ligands, tris{[2-{(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)methylidene}amino]ethyl}amine (Me(3)L), and tris{[2-{(imidazol-4-yl)methylidene}amino]ethyl}amine (H(3)L), and the dipodal ligand bis{[2-{(imidazol-4-yl)methylidene}amino]ethyl}amine (H(2)L). The general formulas are [Ln(Me(3)L)(H(2)O)(2)](NO(3))(3)·3H(2)O (Ln = 3+ lanthanide ion: Sm (1), Eu (2), Gd (3), Tb (4), and Dy (5)), [Ln(H(3)L)(NO(3))](NO(3))(2)·MeOH (Ln(3+) = Sm (6), Eu (7), Gd (8), Tb (9), and Dy (10)), and [Ln(H(2)L)(NO(3))(2)(MeOH)](NO(3))·MeOH (Ln(3+) = Sm (11), Eu (12), Gd (13), Tb (14), and Dy (15)). Each lanthanide ion is 9-coordinate in the complexes with the Me(3)L and H(3)L ligands and 10-coordinate in the complexes with the H(2)L ligand, in which counter anion and solvent molecules are also coordinated. The complexes show a screw arrangement of ligands around the lanthanide ions, and their enantiomorphs form racemate crystals. Luminescence studies have been carried out on the solid and solution-state samples. The triplet energy levels of Me(3)L, H(3)L, and H(2)L are 21?000, 22?700, and 23?000 cm(-1), respectively, which were determined from the phosphorescence spectra of their Gd(3+) complexes. The Me(3)L ligand is an effective sensitizer for Sm(3+) and Eu(3+) ions. Efficient luminescence of Sm(3+), Eu(3+), Tb(3+), and Dy(3+) ions was observed in complexes with the H(3)L and H(2)L ligands. Ligand modification by changing imidazole groups alters their triplet energy, and results in different sensitizing ability towards lanthanide ions.     

4-[(1,3-二氧代丁基)氨基]苯甲酸稀土配合物的合成、表征及发光性质

在乙醇体系中,由主配体4-[(1,3-二氧代丁基)氨基]苯甲酸(H2L,C11H11NO4)、稀土硝酸盐及辅助配体邻菲啰啉(phen)反应合成了两个系列8个配合物[Ln2(L)3(H2O)4]n(Ln=Sm(1),Eu(2),Tb(3),Dy(4));[Ln2(NO3)2(L)2(phen)2]n(Ln=Sm(5),Eu(6),Tb(7),Dy(8))。用元素分析、红外光谱、摩尔电导、热重分析进行表征,确定了产物的化学组成,推断了相应的结构。测定了室温时固体产物的激发和发射光谱,结果表明:由主辅配体共同配位的三元配合物的发光强度好于无辅助配体参与的二元配合物。测定了三元配合物的荧光寿命,其中铕和铽配合物显示较长的荧光寿命。     

Highly-sensitive simultaneous detection of lanthanide(III) ions as kinetically stable aromatic polyaminocarboxylato complexes via capillary electrophoresis using resolution enhancement with carbonate ion

An aromatic polyaminocarboxylate ligand, 1-(4-aminobenzyl)ethylenediamine-N,N,N,N-tetraacetate (ABEDTA), is proposed as a complexing reagent in the pre-capillary mode so as to form kinetically inert Ln(III) complexes, meaning that no added ligand is necessary in alkaline carrier buffer solutions. In addition, highly-sensitive detection is possible through a light-absorbing moiety of an aminobenzyl group in the ligand. The fine-tuning of the electrophoretic mobilities of the Ln-abedta complexes is successfully achieved by adding an auxiliary carbonate ion ligand which alters the charge-to-size ratio of the complexes through fast exchange equilibria in a carrier buffer. In fact, all of the complexes are detectable with very similar analytical sensitivity and acceptable resolution (except for Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd) by using NaOH-borate carrier buffer solution at pH 12.35 with 20 mM of Na₂CO₃. A typical detection limit for Tb(III) ion (to 3) is as low as 0.94 M, which translates to an absolute amount of 9.4 fmol in a 1.0×10^–8 dm^-3 (10 nL) injection.     

Direct solvothermal growth, crystal structures, and optical properties of one-dimensional lanthanide selenidoarsenate(v) polymers [Ln(dien)2(micro3-AsSe4)] (Ln = Nd, Sm): the first example of an AsSe4(3-) anion acting as a ligand to a lanthanide complex

Two novel lanthanide selenidoarsenates(v) [Ln(dien)2(micro(3)-AsSe(4))] (Ln = Nd 1, Sm 2, dien = diethylenetriamine) were synthesized by the reactions of As(2)O(3) and Se with Nd(2)O(3) or Sm(2)O(3) in dien under solvothermal conditions. 1 and 2 are in the orthorhombic crystal system with Iba2 and Pbca space groups, respectively. The [AsSe(4)](3-) anion acts as a tridentate micro(3)-AsSe(4) ligand to bridge the lanthanide [Ln(dien)2](3+) complexes leading to one-dimensional neutral [Ln(dien)(2)(micro(3)-AsSe(4))](infinity) chains. The chains contact through hydrogen bonding to form network structures. The lanthanide center lies within a nine-coordinated environment involving six N atoms of two dien ligands and three Se atoms of two different tetrahedral [AsSe(4)](3-) anions forming a distorted monocapped square antiprism. The novel coordination polymers [Nd(dien)2(micro(3)-AsSe(4))](infinity) and [Sm(dien)2(micro(3)-AsSe(4))](infinity) are the first examples of solvothermally synthesized selenidoarsenates with [AsSe(4)](3-) anion acting as a ligand in lanthanide complexes. The band gaps of 2.11 eV for 1, and 2.18 eV for 2 have been derived from optical absorption spectra. TG-DSC curves show that two compounds remove coordinated dien ligands in a single step.     

pH-metric studies on ternary metal complexes of some amino acids and benzimidazole

The stability constants of binary and ternary complexes of copper(II) and nickel(II) with some amino acids (d-histidine, dl-serine, lysine) as primary ligands and benzimidazole as a secondary ligand were determined pH-metrically. The study was conducted in 10% (v/v) ethanol-H(2)O medium and at an ionic strength of 0.1 mol dm(-3) NaNO(3) at 20 +/- 1 degrees C, Values of Delta log K were discussed on the basis of statistical considerations and the nature of the species formed. The stability of the binary and mixed ligand complexes are discussed in terms of the molecular structure of benzimidazole and the amino acids as well as the nature of the metal ion.     

Studies of Size-Based Selectivity in Aqueous Ternary Complexes of Americium(III) or Lanthanide(III) Cations

Spectrophotometric and calorimetric titrations were used to determine the equilibrium constants (log₁₀ K ₁₁₁) and enthalpies of formation (ΔH ₁₁₁) for aqueous ternary complexes of the form M(L^a)(L^b) (M = Nd³⁺, Sm³⁺, Tb³⁺, Ho³⁺, Er³⁺, or Am³⁺; L^a = DTPA^5?, DO3A^3?, or CDTA^4?; L^b = oxalate (Ox), malonate (Mal), or iminodiacetate (IDA)). Inner-sphere ternary complexes were readily formed with the septadentate DO3A (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid) and hexadentate CDTA (trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetraacetic acid) ligands, whose binary complexes have residual metal-coordinated water molecules that are readily displaced by the smaller secondary ligands. The stability constants for the formation of lanthanide–CDTA complexes with Ox, Mal, and IDA generally increase with decreasing ionic radius when steric hindrance is minimal, with the trend in the M(CDTA)^? formation constants overshadowing any size-based reversal in the stepwise ternary complexation constants. Similar ternary complexes with DO3A showed little increase in thermodynamic stability compared to analogous CDTA complexes and no preference for larger Ln cations. The octadentate DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) ligand proved too large to form ternary complexes to a measurable extent with any of the secondary ligands investigated, despite the presence of one residual inner sphere water molecule.     

Synthesis of Pd complexes combined with photosensitizing of a ruthenium(II) polypyridyl moiety through a series of substituted bipyrimidine bridges. Substituent effect of the bridging ligand on the photocatalytic dimerization of alpha-methylstyrene

Mononuclear ruthenium complexes and dinuclear Ru...Pd complexes having a series of 2,2'-bipyrimidine ligands, [(bpy)2Ru(Ln)]2+ [Ln = 2,2'-bipyrimidine (L1), 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyrimidine (L2), 5,5'-dibromo-2,2'-bipyrimidine (L3), 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyrimidine (L4), and 4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl- 2,2'-bipyrimidine (L5)] and [(bpy)2Ru(Ln)PdL]m+ [Ln = L1-L3; PdL = PdMeCl (m = 2) and PdMe(solvent) (m = 3)], are prepared, and the obtained complexes are characterized by means of spectroscopic and crystallographic methods. Introduction of the substituents on the bipyrimidine ligands led to the substantial differences in their electrochemical and photophysical properties. Density functional theory calculations have been performed to understand the substituent effect on the ground-state molecular orbital energy level. Reactivity studies on the catalytic dimerization of alpha-methylstyrene revealed that the Pd complex having a Br-substituted bipyrimidine ligand were much more active than those of the corresponding Pd complexes having methyl-substituted or nonsubstituted bipyrimidine ligands.     

Bowl adamanzanes--bicyclic tetraamines: syntheses and crystal structures of complexes with cobalt(III) and chelating coordinated oxo-anions

Seven cobalt(III) complexes of the macrobicyclic tetraamine ligand [2(4).3(1)]adamanzane ([2(4).3(1)]adz) are reported along with the crystal structure of six of these complexes. The solid state and solution structures are discussed, and a detailed assignment of the NMR spectra of the sulfato complex is provided. Four of the seven complexes contain a chelate coordinating oxo-anion (sulfate, formiate, nitrate, carbonate). Equilibration of these species with the corresponding diaqua complex is generally slow. The rates of equilibration in 5 mol dm(-3) perchloric acid at 25 degrees C have been measured, yielding half lives of 20 min, 10 min and 3 h for the sulfato, formiato and carbonato species respectively. The corresponding reaction for the nitrato complex occurs with a half life of less than 3 min. The concentration acid dissociation constant for the Co([2(4).3(1)]adz)(HCO(3))(2+) ion has been measured to K(a) = 0.33 mol dm(-3) [25 degrees C, I = 2 mol dm(-3)] and K(a) = 0.15 mol dm(-3) [25 degrees C, I = 5 mol dm(-3)]. The propensity for coordination of sulfate was found to be large enough for a quantitative conversion of the carbonato complex to the sulfato complex to occur in 3 mol dm(-3) triflic acid containing a small sulfate contamination. On this basis the decarboxylation in 5 mol dm(-3) triflic acid of the corresponding cobalt(III) carbonato complex of the larger macrobicyclic tetraamine ligand [3(5)]adz was reinvestigated and found to lead to the sulfato complex as well. The difference in exchange rate of the oxo-anion ligands for the cobalt(III) complexes of the two adamanzane ligands is discussed and attributed to fundamental differences in the molecular structure where an inverted configuration of the secondary non-bridged amine groups is seen for the complexes of the larger [3(5)]adz ligand. The high affinity for chelating coordination of oxo-anions for these two cobalt(iii)-adamanzane-moieties is rationalised on basis of the N-Co-N angles. N-Co-N angles are compared for a series of adamanzane complexes, and the structural consequences are discussed.     

Tuning facial-meridional isomerisation in monometallic nine-co-ordinate lanthanide complexes with unsymmetrical tridentate ligands

The unsymmetrical tridentate benzimidazole-pyridine-carboxamide units in ligands L1-L4 react with trivalent lanthanides, Ln(III), to give the nine-co-ordinate triple-helical complexes [Ln(Li)3]3+ (i = 1-4) existing as mixtures of C3-symmetrical facial and C1-symmetrical meridional isomers. Although the beta13 formation constants are 3-4 orders of magnitude smaller for these complexes than those found for the D3-symmetrical analogues [Ln(Li)3]3+ (i = 5-6) with symmetrical ligands, their formation at the millimolar scale is quantitative and the emission quantum yield of [Eu(L2)3]3+ is significantly larger. The fac-[Ln(Li)3]3+ <--> mer-[Ln(Li)3]3+ (i = 1-4) isomerisation process in acetonitrile is slow enough for Ln = Lu(III) to be quantified by 1H NMR below room temperature. The separation of enthalpic and entropic contributions shows that the distribution of the facial and meridional isomers can be tuned by the judicious peripheral substitution of the ligands affecting the interstrand interactions. Molecular mechanics (MM) calculations suggest that one supplementary interstrand pi-stacking interaction stabilises the meridional isomers, while the facial isomers benefit from more favourable electrostatic contributions. As a result of the mixture of facial and meridional isomers in solution, we were unable to obtain single crystals of 1:3 complexes, but the X-ray crystal structures of their nine-co-ordinate precursors [Eu(L1)2(CF3SO3)2(H2O)](CF3SO3)(C3H5N)2(H2O) (6, C45H54EuF9N10O13S3, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, Z = 4) and [Eu(L4)2(CF3SO3)2(H2O)](CF3SO3)(C4H4O)(1.5) (7, C51H66EuF9N8O(15.5)S3, triclinic, P1, Z = 2) provide crucial structural information on the binding mode of the unsymmetrical tridentate ligands.     

Mixed ligand complexes of benzimidazole and pyrimidine hydroxy azo dyes with some transition metals and glycine, dl-alanine or dl-leucine

The overall formation constants of 1:1:1 ternary complexes of Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(11) with glycine, dl-alanine or dl-leucine as primary ligands and o-hydroxyphenylyazo derivatives of 2-cyanomethyl benzimidazole (ABI) and barbituric acid (ABA) as secondary ligands have been investigated potentiometrically in 40% (v/v) EtOH. Formation constants of binary systems were also determined under the same experimental conditions (37 degrees C and mu=0.15 mol dm(-3)). The stability of ternary complexes have been quantitatively compared with those of the corresponding binary complexes in terms of the parameters DeltalogK, logX and logX'. The data were interpreted on the basis of statistical considerations and the nature of complexes. The concentration distribution of various species formed in solution was evaluated. The Cu(II) complexes have been synthesized and the coordination sites of the ligands were characterized by means of IR spectroscopy.     

Structural, thermodynamic, and mesomorphic consequences of replacing nitrates with trifluoroacetate counteranions in ternary lanthanide complexes with hexacatenar tridentate ligands

The promesogenic hexacatenar tridentate ligands L3(Cn) (I shape) and L4(Cn) (V shape) react with trivalent lanthanide trifluoroacetates, Ln((CF3CO2)3, to give either monometallic [Ln(Li(Cn))(CF3CO2)3] or trifluoroacetato-bridged bimetallic [Ln(Li(Cn))(CF3CO2)3]2 complexes in the solid state, as exemplified by the crystal structures of [Lu(L4(CO))(CF3CO2)3(H2O)], [Lu(L4(CO))(CF3CO2)3]2, and [La(L3(C4))(CF3CO2)3]2. Although the dimerization process is influenced by the competiting complexation of anions or solvent molecules, the coordination of CF3CO2- instead of NO3- to Ln(III) produces a significant lengthening of the Ln-N(ligand) bond distances. This translates into a considerable decrease of the affinity of the Li(C12) (i = 3, 4) ligands for Ln(CF3CO2)3 in solution, thus leading to significant dissociation of the [Ln(Li(C12))(CF3CO2)3] complexes at millimolar concentrations. The thermal properties of these complexes also suffer from their limited thermodynamic stability, and the thermotropic liquid crystalline phases produced at high temperatures reflect mixtures of different species. However, a hexagonal columnar organization characterizes the main component in the mesophases obtained with [Ln(L3(C12))(CF3CO2)3] at high temperature. A tentative interpretation of the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) profiles suggests that disklike dimers of [Ln(L3(C12))(CF3CO2)3]2 are packed along the columnar axes. For [Ln(L4(C12))(CF3CO2)3], SAXS profiles are compatible with a lamellar organization in the mesophases originating from the existence of rodlike dimers of [Ln(L4(C12))(CF3CO2)3]2 as the major component in the liquid-crystal state.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, and luminescent properties of 2-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-1-indone lanthanide complexes

A new β-diketone, 2-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-1-indone (TFI), which contains a trifluorinated alkyl group and a rigid indone group, has been designed and employed for the synthesis of two series of new TFI lanthanide complexes with a general formula [Ln(TFI)(3)L] [Ln = Eu, L = (H(2)O)(2) (1), bpy (2), and phen (3); Ln = Sm, L = (H(2)O)(2) (4), bpy (5), and phen (6); bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline]. X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals that complexes 1-6 are mononuclear, with the central Ln(3+) ion eight-coordinated by six oxygen atoms furnished by three TFI ligands and two O/N atoms from ancillary ligand(s). The room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of complexes 1-6 show strong characteristic emissions of the corresponding Eu(3+) and Sm(3+) ions, and the substitution of the solvent molecules by bidentate nitrogen ligands essentially enhances the luminescence quantum yields and lifetimes of the complexes.     

Syndiotactic polymerization of styrene and copolymerization with ethylene catalyzed by chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal dialkyl complexes

The syndiotactic polymerization of styrene(St) and the copolymerization of St with ethylene(E) were carried out by using a series of chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal dialkyl complexes(Cp~x*) as the catalysts. The complexes are Ln(CH_2SiMe_3)_2(THF)(1-4: Ln = Sc(1), Ln = Lu(2), Ln = Y(3), Ln = Dy(4)) bearing chiral cyclopentadienyl ligand containing bulky cylcohexane derivatives in the presence of activator and AliBu_3. For the St polymerization, a high activity up to 3.1 × 10~6 g of polymer mol Ln~(-1)·h~(-1) and a high syndiotactic selectivity more than 99% were achieved. The resulting syndiotactic polystyrenes(sPSs) have the molecular weights(Mn) ranging from 3700 g·mol~(-1) to 6400 g·mol~(-1) and the molecular weight distributions(Mw/Mn) from 1.40 to 5.03. As for the copolymerization of St and E, the activity was up to 2.4 × 10~6 g of copolymer mol Sc~(-1)·h~(-1)·MPa~(-1), giving random St-E copolymers containing syndiotactic polystyrene sequences with different St content in the range of 15 mol%-58 mol%. These results demonstrate that the bulky cyclopentadienyl ligands of the chiral half-sandwich rare-earth metal complexes effectively inhibit the continued insertion of St monomers into the(co)polymer chain to some extent in comparison with the known half-sandwich rare-earth metal complexes.