Photoresponsive Propeller-like Chiral AIE Copper(I) Clusters

A pair of propeller-like chiral trinuclear Cu^I clusters ( R/S-Cu3 ) with unique photoinduced fluorescence enhancement were prepared. R/S-Cu3 showed intense variable luminescence after UV light irradiation, which was attributed to the stepwise oxidation of ligand in the clusters. It exhibited typical aggregation-induced emission (AIE) (α_AIE=17.3). Mechanism studies showed that metal cluster-centered (MCC) and triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (³MLCT) processes are the origin of the luminescence; the processes are regulated by a restriction of intramolecular motions mechanism in a different state. The chiral structure and AIE feature endow R/S-Cu3 with remarkable circularly polarized luminescence (g_lum=2×10⁻²) in the aggregated state. It shows good capability for producing reactive oxygen species. This work enriches the kinds of atomically precise AIE clusters, gains insight into their luminescence mechanism, and offers the prospect of application in multifunctional materials.     

AIE Triggers the Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Atomically Precise Enantiomeric Copper(I) Alkynyl Clusters

Atomically precise enantiomeric metal clusters are scarce, and copper(I) alkynyl clusters with intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) responses have not been reported. A pair of chiral alkynyl ligands, (R/S)‐2‐diphenyl‐2‐hydroxylmethylpyrrolidine‐1‐propyne (abbreviated as R/S‐DPM ) we successfully prepared and single crystals were characterized of optically pure enantiomeric pair of atomically‐precise copper(I) clusters, [Cu₁₄(R/S‐DPM)₈](PF₆)₆ (denoted as R/S‐Cu₁₄ ), which feature bright red luminescence and CPL with a high luminescence anisotropy factor (g_lum). A dilute solution containing R/S‐Cu₁₄ was nonluminescent and CPL inactive at room temperature. Crystallization‐ and aggregation‐induced emission (CIE and AIE, respectively) contribute to the triggering of the CPL of R/S‐Cu₁₄ in the crystalline and aggregated states. Their AIE behavior and good biocompatibility indicated applications of these copper(I) clusters in cell imaging in HeLa and NG108‐15 cells.     

Highly Luminescent Inks: Aggregation‐Induced Emission of Copper–Iodine Hybrid Clusters

Aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) is an attractive phenomenon in which materials display strong luminescence in the aggregated solid states rather than in the conventional dissolved molecular states. However, highly luminescent inks based on AIE are hard to be obtained because of the difficulty in finely controlling the crystallinity of AIE materials at nanoscale. Herein, we report the preparation of highly luminescent inks via oil‐in‐water microemulsion induced aggregation of Cu–I hybrid clusters based on the highly soluble copper iodide‐tris(3‐methylphenyl)phosphine (Cu₄I₄(P‐(m‐Tol)₃)₄) hybrid. Furthermore, we can synthesize a series of AIE inks with different light‐emission colors to cover the whole visible spectrum range via a facile ligand exchange processes. The assemblies of Cu–I hybrid clusters with AIE characteristics will pave the way to fabricate low‐cost highly luminescent inks.     

A Smart Sensing Method for Object Identification Using Circularly Polarized Luminescence from Coordination‐Driven Self‐Assembly

The potential use of circularly polarized luminescence for object identification in a sensor application is demonstrated. New luminescence probes using pyrene derivatives as sensor luminophores were developed. (R,R)‐Im₂Py and (S,S)‐Im₂Py contain two chiral imidazole moieties at 1,6‐positions through ethynyl spacers (angle between spacers ca. 180°). The probe molecules spontaneously self‐assemble into chiral stacks (P or M helicity) upon coordination to metal ions with tetrahedral coordination (Zn²⁺). The chiral probes display neither circular dichroism (CD) nor circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) without metal ions. However, (R,R)‐Im₂Py and (S,S)‐Im₂Py exhibit intense chiroptical activity (CD and CPL) upon self‐assembly with Zn²⁺ ions. (R,R)‐Im₂Py and (S,S)‐Im₂Py with chemical stimuli‐responsibility allow sensing using the CPL signal as detection output, enabling us to discriminate between a signal from the target analyte and that from non‐target species.     

Luminescence of Eu3+ and Tb3+ Complexes of Two Macrobicyclic Ligands Derived from a Tetralactam Ring and a Chromophoric Antenna

Two macrobicyclic ligands derived from an 18‐membered tetralactam ring and 2,2′‐bipyridine or 2,6‐bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyridine moieties, 1 and 2 , respectively, form stable complexes with Gd^III, Eu^III, and Tb^III ions in aqueous solution. The ligand‐based luminescence is retained in the Gd^III cryptates, whereas this radiative deactivation is quenched in the Eu^III and Tb^III cryptates by ligand‐to‐metal energy transfer, resulting in the usual metal‐centered emission spectra. Singlet‐ and triplet‐state energies, emission‐decay lifetimes, and luminescence yields were measured. [Tb⊂ 1 ]³⁺ cryptate shows a long luminescence lifetime (τ=1.12 ms) and a very high metal luminescence quantum yield (Φ=0.25) in comparison with those reported in the literature for Tb³⁺ complexes sensitized by a bipyridine chromophore. By comparison to [Ln⊂ 1 ]³⁺, [Ln⊂ 2 ]³⁺ presents markedly lower luminescence properties, due to worse interaction between the 2,6‐bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyridine unit and the metal ion. Moreover, the luminescent metal and the triplet ligand energy levels of [Eu⊂ 2 ]³⁺ do not match. The effects of H₂O molecules coordinated to the metal centre and of thermally activated decay processes on nonradiative deactivation to the ground‐state are also reported.     

Absolute configuration retention of a configurationally labile ligand during dynamic processes of thiolate protected gold clusters

Monolayer protected metal clusters are dynamic nanoscale objects. For example, the chiral Au₃₈(2-PET)₂₄ cluster (2-PET: 2-phenylethylthiolate) racemizes at moderate temperature. In addition, ligands and metal atoms can easily exchange between clusters. Such processes are important for applications of monolayer protected metal clusters; however, the mechanistic study of such processes turns out to be challenging. Here we use a configurationally labile, axially chiral ligand, biphenyl-2,2′-dithiol (R/S-BiDi), as a probe to study dynamic cluster processes. It is shown that the ligand exchange of free R/S-BiDi on a chiral Au₃₈(2-PET)₂₄ cluster is diastereospecific. Using chiral chromatography, isolated single diastereomers of the type anticlockwise/clockwise-Au₃₈(2-PET)₂₂(R/S-BiDi)₁ could be isolated. Upon heating, the cluster framework racemizes, while the R/S-BiDi ligand does not. These findings demonstrate that during cluster racemization and/or ligand exchange between clusters, the R/S-BiDi ligand is sufficiently confined, thus preventing its racemization, and exclude the possibility that the ligand desorbs from the cluster surface.

The ligand exchange between a configurationally labile BiDi ligand and intrinsically chiral Au₃₈ gold nanoclusters is diastereoselective. More importantly, the adsorbed ligand retains its configuration during dynamic cluster processes.     

Aggregation‐Induced Emission Properties of Copper Iodide Clusters

The aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) properties of two different copper iodide clusters have been studied. These two [Cu₄I₄L₄] clusters differ by their coordinated phosphine ligand and the luminescent mechanochromic properties are only displayed by one of them. The two clusters are AIE‐active luminophors that exhibit an intense emission in the visible region upon aggregation. The formed particles present luminescent thermochromism comparable to that of the bulk compounds. The observed AIE properties can be attributed to suppression of nonradiative relaxation of the excited states in a more rigid state, in relation to the large structural relaxation of the excited triplet state. The differences observed in the AIE properties of the two clusters can be related to the different ligands. A correlation between the luminescence mechanochromic properties and the AIE effect is not straightforward, but the formation of “soft” molecular solids is a common characteristic that can explain the photoactive properties of these compounds.     

Bimetallic Au2Cu6 Nanoclusters: Strong Luminescence Induced by the Aggregation of Copper(I) Complexes with Gold(0) Species

The concept of aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) has been exploited to render non‐luminescent Cu^ISR complexes strongly luminescent. The Cu^ISR complexes underwent controlled aggregation with Au⁰. Unlike previous AIE methods, our strategy does not require insoluble solutions or cations. X‐ray crystallography validated the structure of this highly fluorescent nanocluster: Six thiolated Cu atoms are aggregated by two Au atoms (Au₂Cu₆ nanoclusters). The quantum yield of this nanocluster is 11.7 %. DFT calculations imply that the fluorescence originates from ligand (aryl groups on the phosphine) to metal (Cu^I) charge transfer (LMCT). Furthermore, the aggregation is affected by the restriction of intramolecular rotation (RIR), and the high rigidity of the outer ligands enhances the fluorescence of the Au₂Cu₆ nanoclusters. This study thus presents a novel strategy for enhancing the luminescence of metal nanoclusters (by the aggregation of active metal complexes with inert metal atoms), and also provides fundamental insights into the controllable synthesis of highly luminescent metal nanoclusters.     

Luminescence and Light‐Driven Energy and Electron Transfer from an Exceptionally Long‐Lived Excited State of a Non‐Innocent Chromium(III) Complex

Photoactive metal complexes employing Earth‐abundant metal ions are a key to sustainable photophysical and photochemical applications. We exploit the effects of an inversion center and ligand non‐innocence to tune the luminescence and photochemistry of the excited state of the [CrN₆] chromophore [Cr(tpe)₂]³⁺ with close to octahedral symmetry (tpe=1,1,1‐tris(pyrid‐2‐yl)ethane). [Cr(tpe)₂]³⁺ exhibits the longest luminescence lifetime (τ=4500 μs) reported up to date for a molecular polypyridyl chromium(III) complex together with a very high luminescence quantum yield of Φ=8.2 % at room temperature in fluid solution. Furthermore, the tpe ligands in [Cr(tpe)₂]³⁺ are redox non‐innocent, leading to reversible reductive chemistry. The excited state redox potential and lifetime of [Cr(tpe)₂]³⁺ surpass those of the classical photosensitizer [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ (bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine) enabling energy transfer (to oxygen) and photoredox processes (with azulene and tri(n‐butyl)amine).     

Photo-Activated Circularly Polarized Luminescence Film Based on Aggregation-Induced Emission Copper(I) Cluster-Assembled Materials

In this study, a pair of chiral copper(I) cluster-assembled materials (R/S- 2 ) was prepared, exhibiting unique photo-response characteristics with a concentration-wavelength correlation property in DMSO solution. By the combination of R/S- 2 with a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix, the first photo-activated circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) film was developed, the CPL signal (g_lum=9×10⁻³) of which could be induced by UV light irradiation. Moreover, the film exhibited a reversible photo-response and extremely good fatigue resistance. Mechanism study revealed that the photo-response properties of the R/S- 2 solution and film are attributed to the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics of R/S- 2 and a photo-induced deoxygenation process. This study enriches the types of luminescent cluster-assembled molecules and provides a new strategy for the construction of metal cluster-based stimuli-responsive composite materials.     

High‐Nuclear Organometallic Copper(I)–Alkynide Clusters: Thermochromic Near‐Infrared Luminescence and Solution Stability

Cu(CF₃COO)₂ reacts with tert‐butylacetylene (tBuC≡CH) in methanol in the presence of metallic copper powder to give two air‐stable clusters, [Cu^I₁₅(tBuC≡C)₁₀(CF₃COO)₅]?tBuC≡CH ( 1 ) and [Cu^I₁₆(tBuC≡C)₁₂(CF₃COO)₄(CH₃OH)₂] ( 2 ). The assembly process involves in situ comproportionation reaction between Cu²⁺ and Cu⁰ and the formation of two different clusters is controlled by reactants concentration. The clusters consist of Cu₁₅ and Cu₁₆ cores co‐stabilized by strong by σ‐ and π‐bonded tert‐butylethynide and CF₃COO^? (together with methanol molecule in 2 ). Their stabilities in solution were confirmed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in which the cluster core remains intact for 1 in chloroform and acetone, and for 2 in acetonitrile. Strong thermochromic luminescence in the near infrared (NIR) region was observed in the solid‐state. Of particular interest, the emission maximum of 1 is red‐shifted from 710 nm at 298 K to 793 nm at 93 K, along with a 17‐fold fluorescence enhancement. In contrast, 2 exhibits red shift from 298 to 123 K followed by blue shift from 123 to 93 K. The emission wavelength was correlated with the structural parameters using variable‐temperature X‐ray single‐crystal analyses. The rich cuprophilic interaction plays a significant role in the formation of ³LMCT (tBuC≡C→Cu_x) excited state mixed with cluster‐centered (³CC) characters, which can be considerably influenced by temperature, leading to thermochromic luminescence. The present work provides 1) a new synthetic protocol for the high‐nuclear Cu^I–alkynyl clusters; 2) a comprehensive insight into the mechanism of thermochromic luminescence; 3) unusual emissive materials with the characters of NIR and thermochromic luminescence simultaneously.     

Synthesis,spectral, DFT calculations and biological studies of solvatochromic copper(II)-ONS hydrazone derived from 2-aminochromone-3-carboxaldehyde

New ONS hydrazone ligand, 2-[(2-aminochromon-3-yl)methylidene]-N-phenylhydrazinecarbothioamide, HL , was synthesized and reacted with different salts of Cu (II) ion (OAc⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻ and Cl⁻) in absence and presence of secondary ligands (L′); 8-hydroxyquinoline, 1,10-phenanthroline or SCN⁻; to form binary and ternary Cu(II)-chelates. The ligand and its Cu(II)-complexes were fully characterized by analytical, spectral, thermal, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The metal chelates showed octahedral, square planar and /or distorted tetraherdal arrangements. Coats–Redfern equations used to calculate the kinetic parameters of the thermal decomposition stages (E_a, A, ΔH, ΔS and ΔG). The compounds exhibit luminescence property; promising interesting potential applications as photoactive materials. Lippert–Mataga, Bakhshiev, Kawski–Chamma–Viallet and microscopic solvent polarity parameter and E_T^N correlation methods were applied on the solvatochromic shifts of emission spectra to evaluate the ground (μ_g) and excited (μ_e) states dipole moments. Excited state dipole moment is larger than the ground state which may be attributed to π-π* transition. The coordinating anions play an important role on the position and intensity of emission band. The ligand and its metal complexes showed antimicrobial activity towards Gram–positive bacteria, Gram–negative bacteria, yeast and fungus. The molecular structural parameters of HL and its Cu(II)- complexes have been calculated on the basis of DFT engaged in the Gaussian 09 program at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level; the theoretical data are correlated with the experimental data.     

Unraveling the Impact of Gold(I)–Thiolate Motifs on the Aggregation‐Induced Emission of Gold Nanoclusters

Aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) provides an efficient strategy to synthesize highly luminescent metal nanoclusters (NCs), however, rational control of emission energy and intensity of metal NCs is still challenging. This communication reveals the impact of surface Au^I‐thiolate motifs on the AIE properties of Au NCs, by employing a series of water‐soluble glutathione (GSH)‐coordinated Au complexes and NCs as a model ([Au₁₀SR₁₀], [Au₁₅SR₁₃], [Au₁₈SR₁₄], and [Au₂₅SR₁₈]^?, SR=thiolate ligand). Spectroscopic investigations show that the emission wavelength of Au NCs is adjustable from visible to the near‐infrared II (NIR‐II) region by controlling the length of the Au^I‐SR motifs on the NC surface. Decreasing the length of Au^I‐SR motifs also changes the origin of cluster luminescence from AIE‐type phosphorescence to Au⁰‐core‐dictated fluorescence. This effect becomes more prominent when the degree of aggregation of Au NCs increases in solution.     

Controlling Metallophilic Interactions in Chiral Gold(I) Double Salts towards Excitation Wavelength‐Tunable Circularly Polarized Luminescence

Materials exhibiting excitation wavelength‐dependent photoluminescence (Ex‐De PL) in the visible region have potential applications in bioimaging, optoelectronics and anti‐counterfeiting. Two multifunctional, chiral [Au(NHC)₂][Au(CN)₂] (NHC=(4R,5R)/(4S,5S)‐1,3‐dimethyl‐4,5‐diphenyl‐4,5‐dihydro‐imidazolin‐2‐ylidene) complex double salts display Ex‐De circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in doped polymer films and in ground powder. Emission maxima can be dynamically tuned from 440 to 530 nm by changing the excitation wavelength. The continuously tunable photoluminescence is proposed to originate from multiple emissive excited states as a result of the existence of varied Au^I???Au^I distances in ground state. The steric properties of the NHC ligand are crucial to the tuning of Au^I???Au^I distances. An anti‐counterfeiting application using these two salts is demonstrated.     

Rapid Conversion of a Au9Ag12 into a AuxAg16-x Nanocluster via Bisphosphine Ligand Engineering

The [Au_xAg_16-x(SAdm)₈(Dppe)₂] nanocluster with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) was synthesized from a non-fluorescent [Au₉Ag₁₂(SAdm)₄(Dppm)₆Cl₆](SbF₆)₃ nanocluster via a ligand-exchange engineering (Dppe=1,2-Bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, Dppm=Bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, HSAdm=1-Adamantanethiol). The nanocluster has a Au-doped icosahedral Au_xAg_13-x core, capped by two Ag(SR)₃, one Ag(SR)₂ and two Dppe ligands. By changing the achiral Dppe ligand into a chiral dbpb ligand ((2S,3S)-(-)-Bis(diphenylphosphino)butane or (2R,3R)-(+)-2,3-Bis(diphenylphosphino)butane), chiral nanoclusters are obtained. ESI-MS and UV-vis spectroscopy were performed to track the reaction. This work provides guidance for the construction of new clusters by etching clusters with multidentate phosphine ligands.     

Cations Controlling the Chiral Assembly of Luminescent Atomically Precise Copper(I) Clusters

Chiral assembly and asymmetric synthesis are critically important for the generation of chiral metal clusters with chiroptical activities. Here, a racemic mixture of [K(CH₃OH)₂(18‐crown‐6)]⁺[Cu₅(S^tBu)₆]^? ( 1?CH₃OH ) in the chiral space group was prepared, in which the chiral red‐emissive anionic [Cu₅(S^tBu)₆]^? cluster was arranged along a twofold screw axis. Interestingly, the release of the coordinated CH₃OH of the cationic units turned the chiral 1?CH₃OH crystal into a mesomeric crystal [K(18‐crown‐6)]⁺[Cu₅(S^tBu)₆]^? ( 1 ), which has a centrosymmetric space group, by adding symmetry elements of glide and mirror planes through both disordered [Cu₅(S^tBu)₆]^? units. The switchable chiral/achiral rearrangement of [Cu₅(S^tBu)₆]^? clusters along with the capture/release of CH₃OH were concomitant with an intense increase/decrease in luminescence. We also used cationic chiral amino alcohols to induce the chiral assembly of a pair of enantiomers, [d /l ‐valinol(18‐crown‐6)]⁺[Cu₅(S^tBu)₆]^? ( d /l ‐Cu_5V ), which display impressive circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in contrast to the CPL‐silent racemic mixture of 1?CH₃OH and mesomeric 1 .     

Light Harvesting and Directional Energy Transfer in Long‐Lived Homo‐ and Heterotrimetallic Complexes of FeII,RuII, and OsII

A new family of trimetallic complexes of the form [(bpy)₂M(phen‐Hbzim‐tpy)M′(tpy‐Hbzim‐phen)M(bpy)₂]⁶⁺ (M=Ru^II, Os; M′=Fe^II, Ru^II, Os; bpy=2,2′‐bipyridine) derived from heteroditopic phenanthroline–terpyridine bridge 2‐{4‐[2,6‐di(pyridin‐2‐yl) pyridine‐4‐yl]phenyl}‐1H‐imidazole[4,5‐f][1,10]phenanthroline (phen‐Hbzim‐tpy) were prepared and fully characterized. Zn²⁺ was used to prepare mixed‐metal trimetallic complexes in situ by coordinating with the free tpy site of the monometallic precursors. The complexes show intense absorptions throughout the UV/Vis region and also exhibit luminescence at room temperature. The redox behavior of the compounds is characterized by several metal‐centered reversible oxidation and ligand‐centered reduction processes. Steady‐state and time‐resolved luminescence data show that the potentially luminescent Ru^II‐ and Os^II‐based triplet metal‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer (³MLCT) excited states in the triads are quantitatively quenched, most likely by intercomponent energy transfer to the lower lying ³MLCT (for Ru and Os) or triplet metal‐centered (³MC) excited states of the Fe^II subunit (nonluminescent). Interestingly, iron did not adversely affect the photophysics of the respective systems. This suggests that the multicomponent molecular‐wire‐like complexes investigated here can behave as efficient light‐harvesting antennas, because all the light absorbed by the various subunits is efficiently channeled to the subunit(s) in which the lowest‐energy excited states are located.     

Modulation of Multifunctional N,O,P Ligands for Enantioselective Copper‐Catalyzed Conjugate Addition of Diethylzinc and Trapping of the Zinc Enolate

In this work, we have successfully synthesized a new family of chiral Schiff base–phosphine ligands derived from chiral binaphthol (BINOL) and chiral primary amine. The controllable synthesis of a novel hexadentate and tetradentate N,O,P ligand that contains both axial and sp³‐central chirality from axial BINOL and sp³‐central primary amine led to the establishment of an efficient multifunctional N,O,P ligand for copper‐catalyzed conjugate addition of an organozinc reagent. In the asymmetric conjugate reaction of organozinc reagents to enones, the polymer‐like bimetallic multinuclear Cu? Zn complex constructed in situ was found to be substrate‐selective and a highly excellent catalyst for diethylzinc reagents in terms of enantioselectivity (up to >99 % ee). More importantly, the chirality matching between different chiral sources, C₂‐axial binaphthol and sp³‐central chiral phosphine, was crucial to the enantioselective induction in this reaction. The experimental results indicated that our chiral ligand (R,S,S)‐ L1 ‐ and (R,S)‐ L4 ‐based bimetallic complex catalyst system exhibited the highest catalytic performance to date in terms of enantioselectivity and conversion even in the presence of 0.005 mol % of catalyst (S/C=20 000, turnover number (TON)=17 600). We also studied the tandem silylation or acylation of enantiomerically enriched zinc enolates that formed in situ from copper‐ L4 ‐complex‐catalyzed conjugate addition, which resulted in the high‐yield synthesis of chiral silyl enol ethers and enoacetates, respectively. Furthermore, the specialized structure of the present multifunctional N,O,P ligand L1 or L4 , and the corresponding mechanistic study of the copper catalyst system were investigated by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and UV/Vis absorption.     

Chiral (Diphosphonite)platinum Complexes in Asymmetric Hydroformylation

The chiral diphosphonite ligand (11bR,11′bR)‐4,4′‐(9,9‐dimethyl‐9H‐xanthene‐4,5‐diyl)bis[dinaphtho[2,1‐d:1′,2′‐f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepin] ((R,R)‐XantBino; (R)‐ 1 ), based on a rigid xanthene backbone, was applied in the Pt/Sn‐catalyzed hydroformylation of styrene ( 4a ), 4‐methylstyrene ( 4b ), vinyl acetate ( 4c ), and allyl acetate ( 4d ), by using a Pt/Sn ratio of 1 : 1. High ee of up to 80% were observed, along with good regioselectivities towards the desired branched aldehydes. For styrene, an interesting inversion in the stereoselection process was observed at elevated temperatures, and a mechanism is proposed considering the temperature dependence of the regioselectivity. The complex [PtCl₂{(S,S)‐XantBino}] ((S)‐ 2 ) was characterized by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis, revealing an unusual out‐of‐plane ligand coordination of the metal fragment. The complex [PtCl(SnCl₃){(R,R)‐XantBino}] ((R)‐ 3 ) was characterized by means of ³¹P‐NMR spectroscopy.     

Anionically Substituted 1,1′,1″‐Methylidynetris[1H‐pyrazole] Ligands for the Formation of Neutral Lanthanide Complexes in Water: Synthesis,Characterization, and Photophysical Properties

The six‐step synthesis of the new podand‐type ligand 6,6′,6″‐[methylidenetri(1H‐pyrazole‐1,3‐diyl)]tris[pyridine‐2‐carboxylic acid] (LH₃) is described. Reaction of LH₃ with LnCl₃ ?6 H₂O (Ln=Eu, Gd, Tb) in MeOH resulted in the isolation of [LnL]?HCl complexes characterized by elemental analysis, mass and IR spectroscopy. Photophysical studies of the Eu and Tb complexes in aqueous solutions revealed the characteristic luminescence features of the metal atoms, indicative of an efficient ligand‐to‐metal energy‐transfer process. Determination of the luminescence quantum yields in H₂O showed the Tb complex to be highly luminescent (?=15%), while, for the Eu complex, the quantum efficiency was only 2%. Excited‐state‐lifetime measurements in H₂O and D₂O evidenced the presence of ca. three H₂O molecules in the first coordination sphere of the complexes. Investigation of the Gd complex allowed the determination of the ligand‐centered triplet state and showed the ligand to be well suited for energy transfer to the metal. The luminescence properties of the complexes are described, and the properties of the ligand as a suitable complexation pocket is questioned.