Green chemiluminescence from a bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complex with an ancillary bathophenanthroline disulfonate ligand

The reaction of a fluorinated iridium complex with cerium(IV) and organic reducing agents generates an intense emission with a significant hypsochromic shift compared to contemporary chemically-initiated luminescence from metal complexes.     

Multisignaling detection of Hg2+ based on a phosphorescent iridium(III) complex

A multisignaling chemosensor for Hg(2+) based on the iridium(III) complex Ir(thq)(2)(acac) was realized through UV-Vis absorption, phosphorescent emission and electrochemical measurements. Upon addition of Hg(2+), an obvious blue-shift in absorption spectra and a strong decrease of emission intensity were measured for Ir(thq)(2)(acac), which could be observed by the naked eye. Hg(2+) is coordinated to Ir(thq)(2)(acac), forming a 1 : 1 complex. Because Hg(2+) is a thiophilic metal ion, the interaction between Hg(2+) and the sulfur atom of cyclometalated ligands is responsible for the significant variations in optical and electrochemical signals.     

Construction of a new Hg(2+)-selective liquid-state electrode

The construction and basic characteristics of a new liquid-state Hg(2+)-selective membrane electrode are discussed. The membrane consists of the PAN chelate of Hg(II), dissolved in CHCl(3). The linear response range of the electrode is 10(-1) -10(-5)M Hg(2+) with a slope of 28.5 mV/decade of concentration. The response time of the electrode in dilute solutions is less than 3 min, and in concentrated solutions it is only a few sec. The electrode has been used in precipitation or complexation titrations in which Hg(2+) is involved (e.g., in the determination of some organic compounds in drug synthesis).     

Phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes with nonconjugated cyclometalated ligands

A series of blue phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes 1-4 with nonconjugated N-benzylpyrazole ligands were synthesized and their structural, electrochemical, and photophysical properties were investigated. Complexes 1-4 exhibit phosphorescence with yields of 5-45 % in degassed CH2Cl2. Of the compounds, 1 showed emission that was nearly true blue at 460 nm with a lack of vibronic progression. These photophysical data clearly demonstrate that the methylene spacer of the cyclometalated N-benzylpyrazole chelate effectively interrupts the pi conjugation upon reacting with a third L X chelating chromophore. This gives a feasible synthesis for the blue phosphorescent complexes with a sufficiently large energy gap. In another approach, these complexes were investigated for their suitability for the host material in phosphorescent OLEDs. The device was synthesized by using 1 as the host for the green-emitting [Ir(ppy)3] dopant, which exhibits an external quantum conversion efficiency (EQE) of up to 11.4 % photons per electron (and 36.6 cdA(-1)), with 1931 Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.30, 0.59), a peak power efficiency of 21.7 lmW(-1), and a maximum brightness of 32000 cdm(-2) at 14.5 V. At the practical brightness of 100 cdm(-2), the efficiency remains above 11 % and 18 lmW(-1), demonstrating its great potential as the host material for phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes.     

Square-planar iridium(II) and iridium(III) amido complexes stabilized by a PNP pincer ligand

Squaring the circle: the novel dienamido pincer ligand N(CHCHPtBu(2))(2)(-) affords the isolation of the unusual square-planar iridium(II) and iridium(III) amido complexes [IrCl{N(CHCHPtBu(2))(2)}](n) (n=0 (1), +1 (2)). In contrast, the corresponding iridium(I) complex of the redox series (n=-1) is surprisingly unstable. The diamagnetism of 2 is attributed to strong N→Ir π donation.     

Trifluoromethyl and mixed hydrido trifluoromethyl complexes of iridium(III) as potential precursors of an iridium(I) trifluoromethyl complex

Abstraction of iodide from Ir(CF₃)ClI(CO)(PPh₃)₂ (1) by AgSbF₆ in the presence of acetonitrile yields the cationic complex [Ir(CF₃)Cl(MeCN)(CO)(PPh₃)₂]⁺ [SbF₆]⁻ (2). The acetonitrile group of 2 is readily displaced, and 2 reacts with para-tolyl isocyanide to yield [Ir(CF₃)Cl(CN-p-tolyl)(CO)(PPh₃)₂]⁺ [SbF₆]⁻ (3). The addition of NaOMe to 3 results in the methoxyester complex Ir(CF₃)(COOMe)Cl(CN-p-tolyl) (PPh₃)₂ (4). The acetonitrile ligand of 2 is also displaced by anions, including H⁻. Thus, 2 reacts with LiEt₃BH to give Ir(CF₃)HCl(CO)(PPh₃)₂ (5), in which the hydrido and trifluoromethyl ligands are mutually trans. In contrast, the addition of excess NaBH₄ to 2 affords the novel dihydrido complex trans-Ir(CF3)H₂(CO)(PPh₃)₂ (6). Investigations into the potential use of 5 and 6 as precursors of an iridium(I) complex such as Ir(CF₃)(CO)(PPh₃)₂ are also described.     

Ratiometric phosphorescence imaging of Hg(II) in living cells based on a neutral iridium(III) complex

In this work, a neutral iridium(III) complex [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)] (Hbt = 2-phenylbenzothiazole; Hacac = acetylacetone) has been realized as a Hg(II)-selective sensor through UV-vis absorption, phosphorescence emission, and electrochemical measurements and was further developed as a phosphorescent agent for monitoring intracellular Hg(II). Upon addition of Hg(II) to a solution of [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)], a noticeable spectral blue shift in both absorption and phosphorescent emission bands was measured. (1)H NMR spectroscopic titration experiments indicated that coordination of Hg(II) to the complex induces fast decomposition of [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)] to form a new complex, which is responsible for the significant variations in optical and electrochemical signals. Importantly, cell imaging experiments have shown that [Ir(bt)(2)(acac)] is membrane permeable and can be used to monitor the changes in Hg(II) levels within cells in a ratiometric phosphorescence mode.     

Highly efficient phosphorescent iridium (III) diazine complexes for OLEDs: Different photophysical property between iridium (III) pyrazine complex and iridium (III) pyrimidine complex

The synthesis and luminescence of four new iridium (III) diazine complexes (1-4) were investigated. HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the complexes were estimated according to the electrochemical performance and the UV-Vis absorption spectra, showing the pyrimidine complexes have a larger increase for the LUMO than the HOMO orbital in comparison with the pyrazine complexes. Several high-efficiency yellow and green OLEDs based on phosphorescent iridium (III) diazine complexes were obtained. The devices emitting yellow light based on 1 with turn-on voltage of 4.1 V exhibited an external quantum efficiency of 13.2% (power efficiency 20.3 lm/W), a maximum current efficiency of 37.3 cd/A. The electroluminescent performance for the green iridium pyrimidine complex of 3 is comparable to that of the iridium pyridine complex (PPY)₂Ir(acac) (PPY = 2-phenylpyridine), which is among the best reported.     

Solid-state electrochemiluminescence of a novel iridium（Ⅲ） complex

The solid-state ECL behavior of a water-insoluble bis-cyclometalated （pq）2Ir（N-phMA） complex is presented, in which pq is a 2-phenylquinoline anion and N-phMA is N-phenyl methacrylamide, a monoanionic bidentate ligand. The MWNTs/（pq）2Ir（N-phMA） film, MWNTs/Ru（bpy）3^2＋ film and （pq）2Ir（N-phMA） directly modified glassy carbon electrode were fabricated; only the MWNTs/（pq）2Ir（N-phMA） film can produce steady ECL in the presence of tri-n-propylamine as a coreactant.     

A cyclometallated iridium(III) dimethylphenylphosphine complex

[Ir(cod)Cl]₂ (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) reacts with PMe₂Ph in CH₃CN to give the red cation [Ir(PMe₂Ph)₄]⁺. This complex in CH₃CN reacts with H₂ to give cis-[IrH₂(PMe₂Ph)₄]⁺, but on reflux for 6 h in the absence of H₂, it gives the first example of a cyclometallated PMe₂Ph complex fac-[IrH(PMe₂C₆H₄)(PMe₂Ph)₃]⁺, as shown by PMR spectroscopy and preliminary X-ray crystallographic data.     

A bright tetranuclear iridium(III) complex

A cyclic tetranuclear cyclometallated iridium(III) complex using cyanide anions as bridging ligands and displaying a tetrahedrally distorted square geometry has been obtained with high yield; photo- and electrochemical characterizations show that most interesting properties of mononuclear cyclometallated iridium complexes are retained in the tetranuclear assembly.     

Fe(III)- and Hg(II)-selective dual channel fluorescence of a rhodamine-azacrown ether conjugate

A rhodamine-azacrown ether conjugate (1) demonstrates Fe(III)-selective green fluorescence, while showing Hg(II)-selective orange fluorescence. This is the first example of rhodamine-based fluorescent probe that shows dual channel fluorescence for two different metal cations.     

Cyclometalated rhodium(III) complex with phen-dione ligand

The novel cyclometalated Rh(III) complex, [Rh(phpy-κ²N,C^2′)₂(phen-dione)]PF₆, where phpy-κ²N,C^2′ is pyridine-2-yl-2-phenyl and phen-dione is 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione has been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR, and electronic absorption spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure of [Rh(phpy-κ²N,C^2′)₂(phen-dione)]PF₆·CH₃CN shows that the coordination geometry around the Rh(III) is a distorted octahedron, with bite angles of 76.13°-81.09° for all three bidentate ligands.     

Synthesis and luminescent properties of iridium(III) ionic binuclear complexes with 1,4-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazolato]butane as a bridging ligand

New ionic binuclear complexes of iridium(III) containing 1,4-bis[2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazolato]butane as a bridging ligand were synthesized. These compounds exhibit intensive photo- and electroluminescence of yellow-green, green-yellow, and pink colors. The maximal electroluminescence brightness was 4565 cd/m².     

Selective phosphorescence chemosensor for homocysteine based on an iridium(III) complex

A new homocysteine-selective sensor based on the iridium(III) complex Ir(pba)2(acac) (Hpba = 4-(2-pyridyl)benzaldehyde; acac = acetylacetone) was synthesized, and its' photophysical properties were studied. Upon the addition of homocysteine (Hcy) to a semi-aqueous solution of Ir(pba)2(acac), a color change from orange to yellow and a luminescent variation from deep red to green were evident to the naked eye. The blue-shift of the absorption spectrum and enhancement of the phosphorescence emission upon the addition of Hcy can be attributed to the formation of a thiazinane group by selective reaction of the aldehyde group of Ir(pba)2(acac) with Hcy, which was confirmed by 1H NMR studies. Importantly, Ir(pba)2(acac) shows uniquely luminescent recognition of Hcy over other amino acids (including cysteine) and thiol-related peptides (reduced glutathione), in agreement with the higher luminescent quantum yield of the adduct of Ir(pba)2(acac) with Hcy (0.038) compared with that of the adduct with Cys (~0.002). Both surface charge analysis and the electrochemical measurement indicated that a photoinduced electron-transfer process for Ir(pba)2(acac)-Cys might be responsible for the high specificity of Ir(pba)2(acac) toward Hcy over Cys.     

Solvent-modulated proton-coupled electron transfer in an iridium complex with an ESIPT ligand

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), an essential process in nature with a well-known example of photosynthesis, has recently been employed in metal complexes to improve the energy conversion efficiency; however, a profound understanding of the mechanism of PCET in metal complexes is still lacking. In this study, we synthesized cyclometalated Ir complexes strategically designed to exploit the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of the ancillary ligand and studied their photoinduced PCET in both aprotic and protic solvent environments using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations. The data reveal solvent-modulated PCET, where charge transfer follows proton transfer in an aprotic solvent and the temporal order of charge transfer and proton transfer is reversed in a protic solvent. In the former case, ESIPT from the enol form to the keto form, which precedes the charge transfer from Ir to the ESIPT ligand, improves the efficiency of metal-to-ligand charge transfer. This finding demonstrates the potential to control the PCET reaction in the desired direction and the efficiency of charge transfer by simply perturbing the external hydrogen-bonding network with the solvent.

The iridium complex with an ESIPT ligand shows solvent-modulated proton-coupled electron transfer, in which the temporal order of proton transfer and charge transfer is altered by the solvent environment.     

A binuclear tantalum(III) complex with a bridging carboxylato ligand

Ta₂Cl₆(SMe₂)₃ reacts with one equivalent of C₄H₉CO₂Li to give a complex with a bridging carboxylate ligand, Ta₂Cl₅(O₂CC₄H₉)(SMe₂)(THF)₂. The product was isolated in two crystalline forms, 1 and 2, from a THF/hexane and benzene/hexane solvent mixture, respectively. The following are the unit cell parameters, for 1: monoclinic (P2₁/n), a = 10.537(5) Å, b = 22.015(4) Å, c = 11.663(4) Å, β = 107.80(3)°, V = 2576(3) ų, and Z = 4; for 2: monoclinic (P2₁/c), a = 15.584(4) Å, b = 15.647(4) Å, c = 11.275(3) Å, β = 106.04(5)°, V = 2642(3) ų and Z = 4. The complex is a dimer with a distorted octahedra-sharing-an-edge geometry. The TaTa distances in 1 and 2 were 2.766(1) Å and 2.779(1) Å, respectively, which is somewhat longer than in previously reported Nb(III) and Ta(III) dinuclear compounds. Diamagnetism of the complex is shown by NMR. Fenske—Hall calculations, which correctly predict an electronic transition at about 16,000 cm^?1, indicate a double TaTa bond. The observed elongation of the metalmetal bond is attributed mainly to steric crowding. The complex is the first proven low-valent Ta species with a coordinated carboxylate ion.     

A switchable macrocycle-clip complex that functions as a NOR logic gate

We have synthesized a new molecular switch-based on a macrocycle-clip complex-whose switching behavior not only can be controlled through the use of either K+-[2,2,2]cryptand or NH4+-Et3N systems but also provides color changes that are visible to the naked eye; consequently, this system operates as a two-input NOR functioning molecular logic gate.