Preparation and photoluminescence characteristics of polysiloxane pendant tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium (II) complex

Polysiloxanes containing pendant tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) complex (Ru(bpy)3²⁺) were prepared by reaction of polysiloxane-pendant 2,2′-bipyridine (PSiO-bpy) with cis-Ru(bpy)₂Cl₂. In methanol solution, the polymer pendant Ru(bpy)3²⁺ showed absorption maximum at 456nm and emission maximum at around 609nm, both of which are shifted to longer wavelength than the monomeric Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. The lifetime τ₀ of the excited polymer complex with low Ru(bpy)3²⁺ content was almost the same as that of the monomeric one in methanol (830ns), but τ₀ of the polymer with higher complex content was shorter because of a concentration quenching. In a solid state, τ₀ was much shorter (306–503ns) than that in a methanol solution contrary to the conventional polymeric system. Higher complex content in the polymer film caused higher glass transition temperature (Tg), but shorter τ₀. These results indicate concentration quenching in the polymer film. The excited polymer pendant Ru(bpy)3²⁺ was quenched by oxygen, and the relative emission intensity followed the Stern-Volmer equation. In a methanol solution the quenching rate constant (k_q) was the same order of magnitude as the monomeric complex, and independent of the complex content in the polymer. In a film, k_q was higher for the polymer with higher complex content.     

Electrochemiluminescence from tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-graphene-Nafion modified electrode

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-graphene-Nafion composite film was developed. The graphene sheet was produced by chemical conversion of graphite, and was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The introduction of conductive graphene into Nafion not only greatly facilitates the electron transfer of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺, but also dramatically improves the long-term stability of the sensor by inhibiting the migration of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ into the electrochemically inactive hydrophobic region of Nafion. The ECL sensor gives a good linear range over 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ M with a detection limit of 50 nM towards the determination of tripropylamine (TPA), comparable to that obtained by Nafion-CNT. The ECL sensor keeps over 80% and 85% activity towards 0.1 mM TPA after being stored in air and in 0.1 M pH 7.5 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) for a month, respectively. The long-term stability of the modified electrode is better than electrodes modified with Nafion, Nafion-silica, Nafion-titania, or sol-gel films containing Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Furthermore, the ECL sensor was successfully applied to the selective and sensitive determination of oxalate in urine samples.     

Solvation effects on photochemically-induced electron transfer from tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium to methylviologen

Summary The effects of mixed solvent systems and anions on the rate of reaction of the title compounds were investigated. The results were shown to be best interpreted in terms of ion-pair formation and solvation-desolvation effects, in addition to the factors included in the outer-sphere electron transfer rate theory expounded by Marcus.     

Electrochemiluminescence sensor using tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) immobilized in Eastman-AQ55D–silica composite thin-films

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor with good long-term stability and fast response time has been developed. The sensor was based on the immobilization of tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) into the Eastman-AQ55D–silica composite thin films on a glassy carbon electrode. The ECL and electrochemistry of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ immobilized in the composite thin films have been investigated, and the modified electrode was used for the ECL detection of oxalate, tripropylamine (TPA) and chlorpromazine (CPZ) in a flow injection analysis system and showed high sensitivity. Because of the strong electrostatic interaction and low hydrophobicity of Eastman-AQ55D, the sensor showed no loss of response over 2 months of dry storage. In use, the electrode showed only a 5% decrease in response over 100 potential cycles. The detection limit was 1 μmol l⁻¹ for oxalate and 0.1 μmol l⁻¹ for both TPA and CPZ (S/N=3), respectively. The linear range extended from 50 μmol l⁻¹ to 5 mmol l⁻¹ for oxalate, from 20 μmol l⁻¹ to 1 mmol l⁻¹ for TPA, and from 1 μmol l⁻¹ to 200 μmol l⁻¹ for CPZ.     

CEC with tris(2,2′‐bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) electrochemiluminescent detection

For the first time, CEC was coupled with tris(2,2‐bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) ( Ru(bpy) electrochemiluminescence detection. Efficient CEC separations of proline, putrescine, spermidine and spermine were achieved when the pH of the mobile phase is in the range of 3.5–7.0. The optimum mobile phase for CEC separation is much less acidic than that for CZE separation, which matches better with the optimum pH for Ru(bpy) electrochemiluminescence detection and dramatically shortens the analysis time because of larger EOF at higher pH. The time for CEC separation of the polyamines is less than 12.5 min, which is about half as much as the time needed for CZE. The detection limits were 1.7, 0.2, and 0.2 μM for putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, respectively. The RSD of retention time and peak height of these polyamines were less than 0.85 and 6.1%, respectively. The column showed good long‐term stability, and the RSD of retention time is below 5% for 150 runs over one‐month use. The method was successfully used for the determination of polyamines in urine samples.     

Simultaneous determination of pethidine and methadone by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection of tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)

In this paper, we described a simple and rapid method, capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence (CE–ECL) detection using tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺), to simultaneously detect pethidine and methadone. Analytes were injected to separation capillary of 67.5 cm length (25 μm i.d., 360 μm o.d.) by electrokinetic injection for 10 s at 10 kV. Under the optimized conditions: ECL detection at 1.20 V, 30 mM sodium phosphate (pH 6.0) as running buffer, separation voltage at 14.0 kV, 5 mM Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ with 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH 6.5) in the detection cell, the linear range from 2.0 × 10^− 6 to 2.0 × 10^− 5 M for pethidine and 5.0 × 10^− 6 to 2.0 × 10^− 4 M for methadone and detection limits of 0.5 μM for both of them were achieved (S/N = 3). Relative standard derivations of the ECL intensity were 2.09% and 6.59% for pethidine and methadone, respectively.     

Silver(I) ions-enhanced electrochemiluminescence of tris(2,2-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)

In this paper, we demonstrate an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) enhancement of tris(2,2-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) by the addition of silver(I) ions. The maximum enhancement factor of about 5 was obtained on a glassy carbon electrode in the absence of co-reactant. The enhancement of ECL intensity was possibly attributed to the unique catalytic activity of Ag⁺ for reactions between Ru(bpy)₃³⁺ with OH. The higher enhancement was observed in phosphate buffer solutions compared with that from borate buffer solutions. This resulted from the fact that formation of nanoparticles with large surface area in the phosphate buffer solution exhibited high catalytic activity. The amount of Ag⁺, solution pH and working electrode materials played important roles for the ECL enhancement. We also studied the effects of Ag⁺ on Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/tripropylamine and Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/C₂O₄²⁻ ECL systems.     

Ultrasensitive electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection of DNA hybridization using carbon-nanotubes loaded with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl) ruthenium derivative tags

An ultrasensitive electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) detection method of DNA hybridization based on single-walled carbon-nanotubes (SWNT) carrying a large number of ruthenium complex tags was developed. The probe single strand DNA (ss-DNA) and ruthenium complex were loaded at SWNT, which was taken as an ECL probe. When the capture ss-DNA with a thiol group was self-assembled onto the surface of gold electrode, and then hybridized with target ss-DNA and further hybridized with the ECL probe to form DNA sandwich conjugate, a strong ECL response was electrochemically generated. The ECL intensity was linearly related to the concentration of perfect-matched target ss-DNA in the range from 2.4 × 10⁻¹⁴ to 1.7 × 10⁻¹² M with a detection limit of 9.0 × l0⁻¹⁵ M. The ECL signal difference permitted to discriminate the perfect-matched target ss-DNA and two-base-mismatched ss-DNA. This work demonstrates that SWNT can provide an amplification platform for carrying a large number of ECL probe and thus resulting in an ultrasensitive ECL detection of DNA hybridization.     

Oxygen quenching of tris(2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium(II) complexes in thin organic films

A study is presented of the quenching, by oxygen, of the luminescence of tris(2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium(II) complexes immobilized in thin, transparent, polymer-based films. The film media consist of a water-insoluble linear polymer plasticized with a trialkylphosphate ester, in which the complex ruthenium cations are solubilized by ion pairing with organophilic anions such as tetraphenylborate.

Luminescence lifetimes were studied in relation oxygen concentration in a gas stream contiguous with the film medium, film thickness and concentration of the metal complex within the film medium. It is shown that the microheterogeneous environment of the luminescent complex, which has recently been implicated in the non-linear quenching responses of polymer-immobilized, transition metal complex oxygen sensors, may arise simply as a consequence of the limited solubility of the complex in the film medium. When solubility is limited, the partial precipitation of the complex results in a colloidal of luminescent particles which exhibit non- uniform susceptibilities to quenching by oxygen. Good solubility, and therefore linear quenching characteristics, are promoted by methyl substitution of the bipyridyl ligand and by use of a plasticizer (tributylphosphate) with marked cation solvating powers.     

Hydrogen peroxide photoproduction by the semicarbazide—tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II)—oxygen system

A light-driven system consisting of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) as the photosensitizer, semicarbazide as the electron donor and molecular oxygen as the electron acceptor has been employed for hydrogen peroxide production. The efficiency of this photosystem markedly depends on pH: while the peroxide yield is almost negligible at acid, neutral or slightly alkaline pH, it reaches significant values at high hydroxide concentrations, the initial rate of H₂O₂ formation drastically increasing from pH 12 to pH 14. In 1 M NaOH solutions containing Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and semicarbazide at optimum concentrations, the number of catalytic cycles (or turnover number) undergone by the ruthenium complex over the complete course of the photochemical reaction is as high as 1.1 × 10⁴.

Spectrofluorometric and laser flash photolysis techniques were used to study the primary photochemical reactions involving the excited state of the ruthenium complex as well as the photochemically generated species Ru(bpy)₃³⁺ and Ru(bpy)₃⁺. It is proposed that at pH 14 a sequence of reactions leading to O₂ photoreduction by electrons from semicarbazide takes place, with the concomitant formation of H₂O₂; the excited state of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ appears to react via oxidative quenching by oxygen rather than via reductive quenching by semicarbazide. At neutral pH, in contrast, there is no H₂O₂ formation owing to the fact that semicarbazide is unable to reduce (Ru(bpy)₃³⁺ to Ru(bpy)₃²⁺, although the photoexcited ruthenium complex is quenched equally by oxygen.     

Tris (2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium (III) as a chemiluminescent reagent for detection in capillary electrophresis

A post- column chemiluminescent technique for thedetection of compounds that are poor chromoshores using electorogenerated chemiluminescence following separation by capillartgy electrophoresis is described. The luminrescent signal is generated followintg the reaction of anlyres (e.g. amines) with Ru(bpy)₃³⁺, which isx electrochemically generated post-columan from Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Tripropylamine and proline are used as two model compounds to demostrate the feasibility of the method. Detection limits for the prototype system were in the micromolar rage, suggesting that this technnique offers an alternative to indirect detection of compounds that are poor chromophores with an added selectivity advangage. The system includes the use of a conductive joint to isolate the separation field from the potential necessary to drive the elctrogenerated chemiluminescent reactiion. Addition of the chemiluminescent reagent Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ post-column did not decrease the efficiency of the separation. The design and favrication of the novel cell is discussed.     

Characterization of the low-oxidation-potential electrogenerated chemiluminescence of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) with tri-n-propylamine as coreactant

The electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (bpy, 2,2′-bipyridine)/tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) system can be produced at an oxidation-potential well before the oxidation of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Here, we describe the unique features of the low-oxidation-potential (LOP) ECL. The LOP ECL exhibited strong dependence on solution pH with the maximum emission at pH  7.7. Compared with the conventional ECL, the LOP ECL was much more significantly diminished at high pH (>10), probably due to the short lifetime of TPrA cation radical which is a crucial intermediate for the LOP emission. It was also found that the preceding deprotonation step played an important role in TPrA oxidation at neutral pH and would remarkably influence the emission intensity. As excess intermediate radicals were produced upon rapid TPrA oxidation, only 5 mM TPrA was needed to achieve the maximum LOP ECL intensity in detecting trace Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ (<1 μM) and the LOP ECL response to Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ concentration was linear. Compared with the conventional Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/TPrA ECL, the LOP ECL technique not only produces higher emission intensity at lower oxidation-potential, but also significantly reduces the amount of the coreactant.     

A chloro(2‐pyridinecarboxaldehyde)(2,2′:6′,2′′‐ter­pyridine)­ruthenium(II) complex

The aldehyde moiety in the title complex, chloro(2‐pyridinecarboxaldehyde‐N,O)(2,2′:6′,2′′‐terpyridine‐κ³N)ruthenium(II)–chloro­(2‐pyridine­carboxyl­ic acid‐N,O)(2,2′:6′,2′′‐ter­pyridine‐κ³N)­ruthenium(II)–perchlorate–chloro­form–water (1.8/0.2/2/1/1), [RuCl­(C₆H₅NO)­(C₁₅H₁₁N₃)]_1.8[RuCl­(C₆H₅­NO₂)(C₁₅H₁₁N₃)]_0.2­(ClO₄)₂·­CHCl₃·­H₂O, is a structural model of substrate coordination to a transfer hydrogenation catalyst. The title complex features two independent Ru^II complex cations that display very similar distorted octahedral coordination provided by the three N atoms of the 2,2′:6′,2′′‐ter­pyridine ligand, the N and O atoms of the 2‐pyridine­carbox­aldehyde (pyCHO) ligand and a chloride ligand. One of the cation sites is disordered such that the aldehyde group is replaced by a 20 (1)% contribution from a carboxyl­ic acid group (aldehyde H replaced by carboxyl O—H). Notable dimensions in the non‐disordered complex cation are Ru—N 2.034 (2) Å and Ru—O 2.079 (2) Å to the pyCHO ligand and O—C 1.239 (4) Å for the pyCHO carbonyl group.     

Influence of dissociation of tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)iron(II) cations on the time dependence of currents in clay-modified electrodes

The time dependence of the voltammetric waves of [Fe(bpy)₃]²⁺ adsorbed in clay-modified electrodes (CMES) differed greatly from those of [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ and [Os(bpy)₃]²⁺. The currents obtained with the ruthenium and osmium cations were essentially constant in the first 2 h that the CME spent in the blank electrolyte. For [Fe(bpy)₃]²⁺, the maximum currents were twice as large. After a sharp rise in the first few scans, they decreased rapidly to less than half of their maximum values after 40 min. The decrease was more rapid when the potential was scanned continuously or when the pH of the electrolyte was increased. Coulometry shows that a larger fraction of the adsorbed [Fe(bpy)₃] ²⁺ cations were oxidized and that they were oxidized much more rapidly than the other two cations. The unique behaviour of [Fe(bpy)₃]²⁺ is attributed to its dissociation in the CME. UV—visible spectroscopy shows that significant dissociation of this cation occurred on the time-scale of the electrochemical measurements. Much larger currents were also found for CMEs containing cis- or trans-[Ru(bpy)₂(H₂O)₂] ²⁺, and these are attributed to the greater mobility of adsorbed bis-bipyridyl cations.     

Effective luminescence quenching of tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) by methylviologen on clay by the aid of poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

Electron-transfer quenching of tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) by methylviologen in an aqueous suspension of clay in the presence of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) was investigated. The quenching behavior of the excited tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) on clay by the coadsorbed methylviologen indicated the homogeneous distribution of the adsorbed dyes. The quenching rate was high when the clay with larger particle size was used as the host. The adsorption of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) on clay resulted in the coadsorption of the tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) and methylviologen without segregation.     

Specific electron transfer mechanism from the photoexcited tetrasulfonated Zn(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin to methylviologen via self-assembled ionic complex

Electron transfer from photoexcited tetrasulfonated Zn(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTSTPP) to methyviologen (MV²⁺) was studied. From the investigation of relative fluorescence intensity and emission lifetime against the MV²⁺ concentration, it was concluded that the electron transfer takes place by a static mechanism. Based on the analysis of the quenching behavior, it was concluded that the static reaction did not follow an ordinary Perrin model, but interaction of the donor (photoexcited Zn-TSTPP) and the acceptor (MV²⁺) molecules, ionic interaction in the present case, is responsible. The analysis of the quenching gave the equilibrium constant for the interaction to be K = 6.5 × 10⁴ M⁻¹. A two-dimensional selfassembled macromolecular ionic complex between ZnTSTPP and MV²⁺ is proposed.