Synthesis,Structure, and Photophysical Properties of the Di‐ and Trinuclear Phosphine‐Diimine Complexes of Copper(I)

Reactions of [Cu(NCMe)₄]⁺ with stoichiometric amount of diphosphine R₂P–(C₆H₄)_n–PR₂, (R = NC₄H₄, n = 1; R = Ph, n = 1, 2, 3) or tri‐phosphine 1, 3, 5‐(PPh₂–C₆H₄–)₃–C₆H₃ ligands give the corresponding di‐ or trinuclear copper(I) acetonitrile‐phosphine complexes 1 – 5 . Substitution of the labile acetonitrile groups with chelating aromatic diimines – 2, 2′‐bipyridine (bpy), 1, 10‐phenanthroline (phen), 5, 6‐dimethyl‐1, 10‐phenanthroline (dmp), 5, 6‐dibromo‐1, 10‐phenanthroline (phenBr₂) – gives the corresponding substituted compounds 6 – 16 . In all complexes 1 – 16 each central Cu^I atom has tetrahedral configuration completed with two N‐ and two P‐donor groups. The compounds obtained were characterized using elemental analysis, ESI‐MS, X‐ray crystallography, and NMR spectroscopy. All phosphine‐diimine compounds 6 – 16 are photoluminescent at room temperature both in dichloromethane solution and in solid state (λ_ex = 385 nm). In CH₂Cl₂ solution the maxima of emission bands are found in a range 540–640 nm, and in solid in a similar range 538–620 nm. Emission of 6 – 16 is assigned to the triplet excited state dominated by the charge transfer transitions with contribution of the MLCT character.