Properties of 2-, 3-, and 4-acetylpyridine substituted ruthenium(II) bis(bipyridine) complexes: substituent effect on the electronic structure,spectra, and photochemistry of the complex

Bis(2,2′-bipyridine) complexes of ruthenium(II) with 2-, 3-, and 4-acetylpyridine derivatives were synthesized and structurally characterized. The effect of changing the location of the pyridine's acetyl substituent was studied experimentally and theoretically to clarify the effect of substituent position on the chemical behavior and photochemical properties of the complex. The substituent position on the heterocyclic-pyridine was found to strongly affect the chemical and photochemical properties of the complex. Variation of the position of the substituent, and thus ligand modification brought by as a consequence of this variation, offers possibilities to design complexes of desired structural and photochemical properties.