Ion size dominated 1D and 2D Salen lanthanide coordination complexes and their luminescence

Lewis acid/base addition between Ln(NO₃)₃ · 6H₂O (Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb and Lu) and H₂salen [H₂salen = N,N′-ethylenebis(salicylideneimine)] gives rise to an array of coordination polymeric structures. Crystal structural analysis reveals that Salen effectively functions as a bridging ligand in these compounds. The size of the lanthanide ions controls the structures of these Salen lanthanide complexes. Two representative structures with one dimensional and two dimensional topologies, viz. [Pr(H₂salen)(NO₃)₃(CH₃OH)₂]_n (1) and [Ln(H₂salen)_1.5(NO₃)₃]_n [Ln = Pr (2), Nd (3), Sm (4), Eu (5), Tb (6) and Lu (7)] are reported. Luminescent spectra of complexes 4 and 5 exhibit characteristic metal-centered emission lines. However, the characteristic luminescence of the terbium(III) ion is not observed either in solution or in the solid state of complex 6.