Increased interest in the emission properties of lanthanide(III) (Eu and Tb) complexes containing ultraviolet and visible sensitizers is being driven by the desire to produce efficient and selective luminescent probes of biological structure. Of special interest are cryptates and other macrocyclic chelating ligands that efficiently encapsulate the lanthanide ions. These species also form relatively stable systems and in some cases are well protected from penetration of the first coordination sphere by solvent molecules and counterions. This work describes the X-ray structure and various spectroscopic measurements on a europium cryptate containing 3,3'-biisoquinoline-2,2'-dioxide (biqO2). This cryptate has been previously recognized for special stability and luminescence efficiency. The compound, (Eu:biqO2.2.2)(CF3SO3)3.CH3CN.H2O, forms rhombic crystals with the space group Pbca. Absorption, emission, and excitation spectra at 293, 77, and 4 K as well as luminescence decay time measurements are used to characterize the solid state and solutions. The ligand-to-metal energy-transfer mechanism and thermally activated back-energy-transfer processes are analyzed and compared to previously published results on related Eu(III) cryptate systems. Preliminary results on the use of high liquid pressure to perturb ligand singlet and triplet states and, as a consequence, probe the ligand-metal orbital interactions are also presented.

The reaction of ZnEt2 with one or two equivalents of aminophenolate ligand N-[methyl(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)]-N-methyl-N-cyclohexylamine gives hetero- and homoleptic molecular compounds [(micro,eta2-L2)ZnEt]2 and [Zn(eta2-L2)2]. The later is most probably a mixture of diastereoisomers that in solution shows an interesting dynamic behaviour. Both complexes as well as the BnOH derivative of the latter, [(eta2-L2)Zn(micro-BnO)]2, proved excellent initiators for lactide polymerization.

The crystal structure of 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide (2B6M) was resolved on the basis of X-ray diffraction. Solid 2B6M occurs in the form of a doubly hydrogen-bonded dimer with squarelike hydrogen-bonding network composed of two intra- (2.556(2) A) and two intermolecular (2.891(2) A) N-H...O type hydrogen bonds. The molecule thus has both a protonable and a deprotonable group that led us to investigate the possibility of an excited-state proton transfer (ESIPT) reaction in different solvents by means of experimental absorption, steady state, and time-resolved emission spectroscopy. The results were correlated with quantum mechanical TD-DFT and PM3 calculations. Experimental and theoretical findings show the possibility of an ESIPT reaction in polar solvents. It is demonstrated that in particular the emission spectra of 2B6M are very sensitive to solvent properties, and a large value of the Stokes shift (about 8000 cm(-1)) in acetonitrile is indicative for an ESIPT process. This conclusion is further supported by time-resolved fluorescence decay measurents that show dual exponential decay in polar solvents. Vertical excitation energies calculated by TD-DFT reproduce the experimental absorption maxima in nonpolar solvents well. The majority of electronic transitions in 2B6M is of pi --> pi* character with a charge shift from the electron-donating to the electron-accepting groups. The calculations show that, due to the charge redistribution on excitation, the acidity of the amino group increases significantly, which facilitates the proton transfer from the amino to the N-oxide group in the excited state.

Titanium complexes with chelating alkoxo ligands have been synthesised with the aim to investigate titanium active centres in catalytic ethylene polymerisation. The titanium complexes cis-[TiCl2(eta2-maltolato)2] (1, 89%), and cis-[TiCl2(eta2-guaiacolato)2] (2, 80%) were prepared by direct reaction of TiCl4 with maltol and guaiacol in toluene. The addition of maltol to [Ti(OiPr)4] in THF results in the formation of species [Ti(OiPr)2(maltolato)2] (3, 82%). The titanium compound cis-[Ti(OEt)2(eta2-maltolato)2] (4, 74%) was obtained by the transesterification reaction of species 3 with CH3CO2Et. When compound 4 is dissolved in THF a dinuclear species [Ti2(mu-OEt)2(OEt)4-(eta2-maltolato)2] (5, 45%) is formed. Reaction of [Ti(OiPr)4] with crude guaiacol in THF yields a solid, which after recrystallisation from acetonitrile gives [Ti4(mu-O)4(eta2-guaiacolato)] x 4CH3CN (6, 55%). In contrast, reaction of TiCl4 with crude guaiacol in tetrahydrofuran affords [Ti2(mu-O)Cl2(eta2-guaiacolato)4] (7, 82%). Crystallographic and electrochemical analyses of these complexes demonstrate that maltolato and guaiacolato ligands can be used as a valuable alternative for the cyclopentadienyl ring. These complexes have been shown to be active catalysts upon combination with the appropriate activator.

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A series of stable lanthanide complexes Na[Ln(L) ] (Ln=La , Eu , Gd , Tb , with L=dimethyl(4-methylphenylsulfonyl)amidophosphate and dimethyl-2-naphthylsulfonylamidophosphate) were synthesized. The compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, absorption, and emission spectroscopy at 293 and 77 K. In contrast to the usual and well-known dominant role of the ligand triplet state in intramolecular energy transfer processes in Ln complexes, in this particular new class of Ln compounds with sulphonylamidophosphate ligands, strong experimental and detailed theoretical evidence suggest a dominant role is played by the ligand first excited singlet state. The importance of the role played by the F level in the case of the Tb compound in this process is shown. The theoretical approach for the energy transfer rates was successfully applied to the rationalization of the experimental data. The higher-lying excited levels of Eu ( D , L , G ) and Tb ( D , G , L , H , F , I ) were included in the calculations for the first time. Both the multipolar and exchange mechanisms were taken into account. The experimental intensity parameters (Ω ), emission lifetimes (τ), radiative (A ) and non-radiative (A ) decay rates, and quantum yields (theoretical and experimental) were determined and are discussed in detail.

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The cocrystals of adenine and metal (II) quinoline-2-carboxylates (M = Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+) have been obtained by self-assembly. The complexes are composed of adenine ribbons with the AA22 pairing pattern involving both Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen faces in hydrogen bonding and the neutral molecules of carboxylate positioned in inorganic layers. The very compact supramolecular structure is made by the extensive system of hydrogen bonds and face-to-face pi-pi interactions.