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The first expanded campestarenes based on a keto–enamine scaffold have been constructed using uranyl acetate as a template. Macrocycles with six and eight aryl rings in their backbone host dinuclear and tetranuclear uranium(vi) species, respectively. The complexes were characterized by SCXRD, FT-IR, UV-vis, and NMR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations corroborated their structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel flexible ligand with methyl substituted pyrimidine rings and thioether spacers has been synthesised and the corresponding 1 : 1 silver(i) adducts have been obtained by interaction with different silver(i) salts AgX (where X = NO3−, BF4−, ClO4−, CH3SO3−, CF3CO2−, and CF3CF2CF2CO2−). The X-ray single crystal structure determination of two of the new silver(i) adducts (X = NO3− and CF3CO2−) has proved the formation of coordination polymers with Ag(i) ions almost linearly coordinated to two nitrogen atoms of the pyrimidine rings of the multitopic ligand used. The linear coordination mode shown by the new flexible ligand is induced by the presence of the substituents on the pyrimidine rings, regardless of the type of the AgX salt used in the formation of the respective silver(i) derivatives. This observation represents a neat change in comparison to the already reported series of complexes with unsubstituted (and otherwise identical) ligands, in which dinuclear coordination units have been invariably obtained. Computational investigations have been performed with the aim of explaining such an observed change. A computational comparison of a known dinuclear complex and its related polymeric one has been detailed here and has allowed us to highlight the importance of the introduced substituents in changing the ligand interactions internally to their coordination units and among adjacent units in the solid phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis, structures and photophysical properties of a series of bis-cyclometallated Ir(iii) complexes bearing phenylpyrazole (ppz) cyclometallating ligands and phenanthroline-based ancillary ligands containing thienyl- and bithienylamido groups are reported. All complexes are emissive in solution, while in PMMA films strong emission is observed from the thienylamido substituted complex with no emission from the bithienylamido complex. The bithienylamido substituted complex has an excited state lifetime which is significantly longer than the emission lifetime, attributed to the population of non-equilibrated 3MLCT and 3LC states in this complex. This represents a rare example of this unusual excited state behaviour. DFT calculations show that the emitting 3MLCT state and the dark 3LC state on bithiophene are close in energy and that a large change in the triplet state geometry occurs upon excitation that effectively lowers the energy of the 3MLCT state below that of the dark 3LC state. The low quantum yield of the bithienylamido complex is attributed to a structural rearrangement upon relaxation back to the ground state, opening a non-radiative decay pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel non-symmetrically substituted mono β-aryl and β-arylethynyl (alkylsulfanyl)porphyrazines and the corresponding Ni(ii) complexes have been prepared by the Suzuki–Miyaura and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions with the aim to investigate substituent effects on their electronic and aggregation properties. Spectroscopic, electrochemical and computational investigations show that in both aryl and arylethynyl compounds efficient electron transfer between the aryl and macrocycle moieties occurs. The highest perturbation of the porphyrazine π-electron core is provided by strong electron-donating (NMe2) and electron withdrawing (NO2) aryl substituents, which increase and decrease the macrocycle electron density, respectively. Moreover, while in most of the compounds the LUMOs and HOMOs are mainly localized on the porphyrazine ring, in the amino-substituted derivatives the HOMO is localized on the peripheral aryl moieties and the LUMO is localized on the macrocycle. Charge-transfer electronic excitations give rise to absorptions in UV-Vis spectra of both amino- and nitro-substituted compounds. In the former such excitations occur from aryl-localized to macrocycle-localized orbitals, while backward excitations occur in the latter. Therefore, the porphyrazine ring shows an ambivalent behavior, acting as an electron acceptor in the case of the NMe2-substituted compounds and as an electron donor in the NO2-substituted derivative. In these derivatives, even macrocycle mono-substitution provides unconventional “push–pull” systems suitable for NLO. Columnar discotic mesophases are also shown by thio-octyl arylethynyl derivatives, allowing us to envisage the possibility to achieve compounds both suitable for optoelectronic applications and endowed with self-aggregation properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biscyclometallated iridium complexes [Ir(ppz)2(X^Y)][PF6] (X^Y = pyridine imine) have been synthesised. The pyridineimine ligands are prepared in situ during the complexation. The complexes show room temperature emission between 640 and 780 nm in CH2Cl2 solution. The emission is red shifted compared with the analogous bipyridine complex [Ir(ppz)2(bipy)][PF6]. DFT calculations have been used to shed light on the influence of the imine substituent on the electrochemical and photochemical properties. In particular, the calculations suggests that there is a significant change in geometry between the ground state and the first triplet excited state for arylimines but not for alkylimines, leading to much weaker emission for the arylimine complexes. The work demonstrates that pyridineimines can be used as a substitute for bipyridines in luminescent iridium complexes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis, structures and photophysical properties of a series of bis-cyclometallated Ir(iii) complexes bearing phenylpyrazole (ppz) cyclometallating ligands and phenanthroline-based ancillary ligands containing thienyl- and bithienylamido groups are reported. All complexes are emissive in solution, while in PMMA films strong emission is observed from the thienylamido substituted complex with no emission from the bithienylamido complex. The bithienylamido substituted complex has an excited state lifetime which is significantly longer than the emission lifetime, attributed to the population of non-equilibrated (3)MLCT and (3)LC states in this complex. This represents a rare example of this unusual excited state behaviour. DFT calculations show that the emitting (3)MLCT state and the dark (3)LC state on bithiophene are close in energy and that a large change in the triplet state geometry occurs upon excitation that effectively lowers the energy of the (3)MLCT state below that of the dark (3)LC state. The low quantum yield of the bithienylamido complex is attributed to a structural rearrangement upon relaxation back to the ground state, opening a non-radiative decay pathway.

A series of novel non-symmetrically substituted mono β-aryl and β-arylethynyl (alkylsulfanyl)porphyrazines and the corresponding Ni(ii) complexes have been prepared by the Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions with the aim to investigate substituent effects on their electronic and aggregation properties. Spectroscopic, electrochemical and computational investigations show that in both aryl and arylethynyl compounds efficient electron transfer between the aryl and macrocycle moieties occurs. The highest perturbation of the porphyrazine π-electron core is provided by strong electron-donating (NMe2) and electron withdrawing (NO2) aryl substituents, which increase and decrease the macrocycle electron density, respectively. Moreover, while in most of the compounds the LUMOs and HOMOs are mainly localized on the porphyrazine ring, in the amino-substituted derivatives the HOMO is localized on the peripheral aryl moieties and the LUMO is localized on the macrocycle. Charge-transfer electronic excitations give rise to absorptions in UV-Vis spectra of both amino- and nitro-substituted compounds. In the former such excitations occur from aryl-localized to macrocycle-localized orbitals, while backward excitations occur in the latter. Therefore, the porphyrazine ring shows an ambivalent behavior, acting as an electron acceptor in the case of the NMe2-substituted compounds and as an electron donor in the NO2-substituted derivative. In these derivatives, even macrocycle mono-substitution provides unconventional "push-pull" systems suitable for NLO. Columnar discotic mesophases are also shown by thio-octyl arylethynyl derivatives, allowing us to envisage the possibility to achieve compounds both suitable for optoelectronic applications and endowed with self-aggregation properties.

Two stable diastereomeric atropisomers of a cyclometallated iridium complex containing a pyrene functionalized pyridine imine ligand have been isolated. These are the first fully characterized examples of metal containing atropisomers in which the rotational axis is not between two chelating atoms. The atropisomers can be converted thermally via a rocking motion of the pyrene moiety.

Four cyclometalated Pt(IV) compounds, 1a,b and 2a,b, were successfully obtained by oxidative addition of I(2) to 2-phenylpyridinate (PhPy) and Nile Red (NR) derived Pt(II) complexes with acetylacetonate (acac) or hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hacac) ancillary ligands. Single crystal X-ray diffraction, electrochemical, photophysical and computational studies have been performed in comparison with the analogues Pt(II) compounds, shedding new light on the role of the oxidation state of the metal centre towards both the luminescence properties and the dioxygen quenching.

A comparative photophysical, electrochemical and computational study of a series of Nile Red cyclopalladated and newly synthesised cycloplatinated complexes is reported. All complexes are luminescent at room temperature and the emission properties are governed by the nature of the cyclometallated dye. However, the presence of platinum(II) as metal centre decreases severely the emission quantum yield, while the electronegativity of the ancillary hexafluoroacetylacetonato ligand enhanced the emission properties of the Nile Red complexes.

A photophysical, electrochemical and computational study has been performed on a homologous series of cyclometallated Pd(II) (1a-f) and Pt(II) (2a-f) complexes of general formula [(C,N)M(O,O)]; (H(C,N) = azobenzene, 2-phenylpyridine, benzo[h]quinoline; M = Pd, Pt; H(O,O) = acetylacetone, hexafluoroacetylacetone). Experimental and computational data have shown the strong influence exerted by electronegativity of the ancillary ligand on the frontier orbitals of the complexes, such an effect being enhanced for the Pt(II) species.

This paper reports the synthesis, characterization, photophysical and structural properties of the homologous series of good emitting pentacoordinated GaQ'2L complexes 1-3, where Q' is 2-methyl-quinolin-8-olate and L is a phenolate substituted in para position with respect to the oxygen donor atom. A combined approach between the experimental structural analysis (i.e. the molecular fragments involved in intermolecular pi-pi interactions) and the computational study (i.e. the nature of the molecular orbitals residing therein) is discussed in order to compare the charge transport aptitude of complexes 1-3, in relation to the facing of their LUMO/LUMO, HOMO/HOMO and HOMO/LUMO arising from the molecular packing. The different phenolate ligands significantly change the packing characteristics of 1-3, with indirect effects on the electron hopping kinetics responsible for conduction in amorphous thin films. The observed preference for pyridyl-pyridyl stacking proves a faster electron conduction in comparison to hole conduction in the three complexes studied.

This paper reports the synthesis, characterisation and photophysical investigation of the homologous series of blue-emitting pentacoordinated AlQ'(2)L complexes 1-6, where Q' is 2-methylquinolin-8-olate and L is a phenolate substituted in para to the oxygen donor atom. Both electron attracting and electron releasing substituents have been considered. Also binuclear complexes of formula Q'(2)Al-L'-AlQ'(2), where L' = OC(6)H(4)C(6)H(4)O, OC(6)H(4)(CH(2))(3)C(6)H(4)O and OC(6)H(4)C(CH(3))(2)C(6)H(4)C(CH(3))(2)C(6)H(4)O have been synthesised and characterised. These are interesting blue-emitting materials for OLED (organic light emitting diode) fabrication. A comparison between computational and experimental results allowed the description of the absorption and fluorescence processes. A study of the frontier orbitals involved in the electric conduction and fluorescence emission has been performed. Influences of the phenolate-based ligands on the compounds spectroscopy have been particularly taken into account.

A new series of 5-(4'-substituted)phenylazo-8-hydroxyquinolines (H[L-R]; R = N(CH(3))(2), C(2)H(5), n-C(4)H(9), C(CH(3))(3), H, and F, ) has been prepared and the corresponding Zn[L-R](2) (1a-6a) and Al[L-R](3) (1b-6b) complexes successfully synthesized. These compounds have been studied in order to design new molecular materials with enhanced electron transport properties. The obtained species have been extensively characterized by absorption and emission spectra and by cyclic voltammetric measurements. Experimental and computational results show that the Zn[L-N(CH(3))(2)].2H(2)O (1a) and Al[L-N(CH(3))(2)](1b) complexes only feature luminescence (at 620 and 600 nm), respectively. The unique effects, which are induced by the N=N-C(6)H(4)-N(CH(3))(2) group, are further proved by a reversible electron transfer process detected by cyclic voltammetry. These outcomes, discussed on the basis of theoretical calculations performed on the (H[L-N(CH3)2])-, H[L-N(CH3)2] and (H[L-N(CH3)(2)])+ species, suggest that metal complexes formed by 5-(4'-N,N-dimethylamino)phenylazo-8-hydroxyquinoline should be considered as electron transport materials suitable for applications in photonic devices.

Treatment of octakis(octylthio)porphyrazine (H(2)OOSPz) with cis-bis(benzonitrile)dichloroplatinum(II) in a 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB)-n-BuOH mixture at 190 degree C affords the asymmetric porphyrazine 2H-heptakis(octylthio)porphyrazine, H(2)HOSPz, in ca. 40% yield. In the key synthetic step the two-electron reduced diprotonated porphyrazine, [H(2)OOPz(4-)(H(+))(2)](hemiporphyrazinogen), forms in nearly quantitative yield. This species undergoes nucleophilic substitution of an octylsulfide group by H(-), affording the asymmetric porphyrazine, this process being favoured by the high-temperature induced charge and structural intramolecular rearrangements. The resulting molecule shows mesomorphic behaviour. Interestingly, in the presence of sodium acetate, or in neat TCB, the asymmetric porphyrazine does not form at all. Under these conditions, a PtCl(2) molecular fragment coordinates both to a porphyrazine aza bridge and to a thioether moiety leading to the formation of the [H(2)OOSPz]PtCl(2) complex. The S,N-coordination of the PtCl(2) unit was proved by (1)H, (195)Pt[(1)H], and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and supported by DFT (B3LYP) calculations. The complex conjugates high asymmetry with strong solvatochromism and, therefore, it is potentially interesting for nonlinear optics.