Modulation of Metallophilic and π-π Interactions in Platinum Cyclometalated Luminophores with Halogen Bonding.

Luminescent cyclometalated complexes [M(C^N^N)CN] (M=Pt, Pd; HC^N^N=pyridinyl- (M=Pt 1, Pd 5), benzyltriazolyl- (M=Pt 2), indazolyl- (M=Pt 3, Pd 6), pyrazolyl-phenylpyridine (M=Pt 4)) decorated with cyanide ligand, have been explored as nucleophilic building blocks for the construction of halogen-bonded (XB) adducts using IC6 F5 as an XB donor. The negative electrostatic potential of the CN group afforded CN⋅⋅⋅I noncovalent interactions for platinum complexes 1-3; the energies of XB contacts are comparable to those of metallophilic bonding according to QTAIM analysis. Embedding the chromophore units into XB adducts 1-3⋅⋅⋅IC6 F5 has little effect on the charge distribution, but strongly affects Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt bonding and π-stacking, which lead to excited states of MMLCT (metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer) origin. The energies of these states and the photoemissive properties of the crystalline materials are primarily determined by the degree of aggregation of the luminophores via metal-metal interactions. The adduct formation depends on the nature of the metal and the structure of the metalated ligand, the variation of which can yield dynamic XB-supported systems, exemplified by thermally regulated transition 3↔3⋅⋅⋅IC6 F5 .

Direct Base-Assisted C‒H Cyclonickelation of 6-Phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine.

The organonickel complexes [Ni(Phbpy)X] (X = Br, OAc, CN) were obtained for the first time in a direct base-assisted arene C(sp2)-H cyclometalation reaction from the rather unreactive precursor materials NiX2 and HPhbpy (6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine) or from the versatile precursor [Ni(HPhbpy)Br2]2. Different from previously necessary C‒Br oxidative addition at Ni(0), an extended scan of reaction conditions allowed quantitative access to the title compound from Ni(II) on synthetically useful timescales through base-assisted C‒H activation in nonpolar media at elevated temperature. Optimisation of the reaction conditions (various bases, solvents, methods) identified 1:2 mixtures of acetate and carbonate as unrivalled synergetic base pairs in the optimum protocol that holds promise as a readily usable and easily tuneable access to a wide range of direct nickelation products. While for the base-assisted C‒H metalation of the noble metals Ru, Ir, Rh, or Pd, this acetate/carbonate method has been established for a few years, our study represents the leap into the world of the base metals of the 3d series.

Improvement of the Photophysical Performance of Platinum-Cyclometalated Complexes in Halogen-Bonded Adducts.

Three groups of luminescent platinum complexes [Pt(C^N)(L)(Y)] [C^N=benzothienyl-pyridine (1), bezofuryl-pyridine (2), phenyl-pyridine (3); L/Y=DMSO/Cl (a), PPh3 /Cl (b), PPh3 /CN (c)] have been probed as halogen-bond (XB) acceptors towards iodofluorobenzenes (IC6 F5 and I2 C6 F4 ). Compounds 1 a and 2 a (L/Y=DMSO/Cl) afford the adducts 1 a⋅⋅⋅I2 C6 F4 and 2 a⋅⋅⋅I2 C6 F4 , which feature I⋅⋅⋅Sbtpy /I⋅⋅⋅πbtpy and I⋅⋅⋅ODMSO /I⋅⋅⋅Cl short contacts, respectively. The phosphane-cyanide derivatives 1 c and 2 c (L/Y=PPh3 /CN) co-crystallise with both IC6 F5 and I2 C6 F4 . None of the phpy-based species 3 a-3 c participated in XB interactions. Although the native complexes are rather poor luminophores in the solid state (Φem =0.023-0.089), the adducts exhibit an up to 10-fold increase of the intensity with a minor alteration of the emission energy. The observed gain in the quantum efficiency is mainly attributed to the joint influence of non-covalent interactions (halogen/hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking), which govern the crystal-packing mode and diminish the radiationless pathways for the T1 →S0 transition by providing a rigid environment around the chromophore.

Cyclometalated Platinum(II) Cyanometallates: Luminescent Blocks for Coordination Self-Assembly.

A family of cyanide-bridged heterometallic aggregates has been constructed of the chromophoric cycloplatinated metalloligands and coordinatively unsaturated d10 fragments {M(PPh3)n}. The tetranuclear complexes of general composition [Pt(C^N)(CN)2M(PPh3)2]2 [C^N = ppy, M = Cu (1), Ag (2); C^N = tolpy (Htolpy = 2-(4-tolyl)-pyridine), M = Cu (4), Ag (5); C^N = F2ppy (HF2ppy = 2-(4, 6-difluorophenyl)-pyridine), M = Cu (7), Ag (8)] demonstrate a squarelike arrangement of the molecular frameworks, which is achieved due to favorable coordination geometries of the bridging ligands and the metal ions. Variation of the amount of the ancillary phosphine (for M = Ag) afforded compounds [Pt(C^N)(CN)2Ag(PPh3)]2 (C^N = ppy, 3; C^N = tolpy, 6); for the latter one an alternative cluster topology, stabilized by the Pt-Ag metallophilic and η1-Cipso(C^N)-Ag bonding, was observed. The solid-state structures of all of the title species 1-8 were determined crystallographically. The complexes exhibit moderately strong room-temperature phosphorescence as crystalline powders (Φem = 16-34%, λem = 470-511 nm). The luminescence studies and time-dependent density functional theory computational analysis indicate that the photophysical behavior is dominated by the 3π-π* electronic transitions localized on the cyclometalated fragment and mixed with MPtLCT contribution, while the d10-phosphine motifs have a negligible contribution into the frontier orbitals and therefore show a little influence on the emission performance of the described compounds.

Solid-State and Solution Metallophilic Aggregation of a Cationic [Pt(NCN)L](+) Cyclometalated Complex.

The noncovalent intermolecular interactions (π-π stacking, metallophilic bonding) of the cyclometalated complexes [Pt(NCN)L](+)X(-) (NCN = dipyridylbenzene, L = pyridine (1), acetonitrile (2)) are determined by the steric properties of the ancillary ligands L in the solid state and in solution, while the nature of the counterion X(-) (X(-) = PF6(-), ClO4(-), CF3SO3(-)) affects the molecular arrangement of 2·X in the crystal medium. According to the variable-temperature X-ray diffraction measurements, the extensive Pt···Pt interactions and π-stacking in 2·X are significantly temperature-dependent. The variable concentration (1)H and diffusion coefficients NMR measurements reveal that 2·X exists in the monomeric form in dilute solutions at 298 K, while upon increase in concentration [Pt(NCN)(NCMe)](+) cations undergo the formation of the ground-state oligomeric aggregates with an average aggregation number of ∼3. The photoluminescent characteristics of 1 and 2·X are largely determined by the intermolecular aggregation. For the discrete molecules the emission properties are assigned to metal perturbed IL charge transfer mixed with some MLCT contribution. In the case of oligomers 2·X the luminescence is significantly red-shifted with respect to 1 and originates mainly from the (3)MMLCT excited states. The emission energies depend on the structural arrangement in the crystal and on the complex concentration in solution, variation of which allows for the modulation of the emission color from greenish to deep red. In the solid state the lability of the ligands L leads to vapor-induced reversible transformation 1 ↔ 2 that is accompanied by the molecular reorganization and, consequently, dramatic change of the photophysical properties. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations adequately support the models proposed for the rationalization of the experimental observations.

Halogen Bonding to Amplify Luminescence: A Case Study Using a Platinum Cyclometalated Complex.

The cocrystallization of a weakly luminescent platinum complex [Pt(btpy)(PPh3)Cl](1) (Hbtpy=2-(2benzothienyl)pyridine; emission quantum yield Φem=0.03) with fluorinated bromo- and iodoarenes C6F6-nXn (X=Br, I; n=1, 2) results in the formation of efficient halogen-bonding (XB) interactions Pt-Cl⋅⋅⋅X-R. An up to 22-fold enhancement (Φem =0.65) in the luminescence intensity of the cocrystallized compound is detected, without a substantial change of the emission energy. Based on crystallographic, photophysical, and theoretical investigations, the contribution of the XB donors C6F6-n Xn to the amplification of luminescence intensity is attributed to the enhancement of spin-orbit coupling through the heavy-atom effect, and simultaneously to the suppression of the nonradiative relaxation pathways by increasing the rigidity of the chromophore center.

Alkynyl triphosphine copper complexes: synthesis and photophysical studies.

A rigid triphosphine PPh2C6H4-PPh-C6H4PPh2 () reacted with Cu(+) and a stoichiometric amount of terminal alkyne under basic conditions to give a family of copper(i) alkynyl compounds [Cu()C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR]. The number of terminal -C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CH groups in the starting ligand determines the nuclearity of the resulting complexes giving mono- (, R = Ph; , R = C6H4OMe; , R = C6H4NO2; , R = C6H4CF3; , R = 2-pyridyl), di- (R = -(C6H4)n-, n = 1 (), n = 2, (), n = 3 ()) and trinuclear complexes (, R = 1,3,5-(C6H4)3-C6H3; , R = 1,3,5-(C6H4-4-C2C6H4)3-C6H3). In all the complexes the Cu(i) centers are found in a distorted tetrahedral environment that is achieved by tridentate coordination of the ligand and σ-bonding to the alkynyl function. The crystal structures of , and were estimated by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The (31)P, (1)H and (1)H-(1)H COSY NMR spectroscopy confirms that all the molecules remain intact in solution. The photophysical studies carried out in the solid state at 298 and 77 K revealed moderate to weak orange luminescence (Φem up to 19%), tentatively assigned to thermally activated delayed fluorescence for the mononuclear complexes. The quantum yields of emission of demonstrated strong dependence on the nature of the alkynyl ligand, the role of which in the electronic transitions was elucidated by TD-DFT computational studies.