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The reaction of the β-triketonate ligands tris(4-methylbenzoyl)methanide and tribenzoylmethanide with the trivalent lanthanoids Eu3+, Er3+, and Yb3+ in the presence of Cs+ afforded polymeric structures where the repeating units are represented by bimetallic tetranuclear assemblies of formulation [Ln(Cs)(β-triketonate)4]2n. The only exception is the structure formed by the reaction of tris(4-methylbenzoyl)methanide, Yb3+, and Cs+, which yielded a polymeric assembly where the repeating units are mononuclear Yb3+ complexes bridged by Cs+ cations. Photophysical measurements on the obtained materials confirmed efficient sensitization from the ligand excited states to the 4f∗ excited states of the three lanthanoids. According to transient absorption data, Er3+ and Yb3+ are sensitized via energy transfer from the triplet state of the β-triketonate ligands. On the other hand, energy transfer to Eu3+ seems to occur via an alternative pathway, possibly directly via the singlet state or through ligand to metal charge transfer states. The emission measurements confirm efficient sensitization for all three lanthanoids and bright near-infrared emission for Er3+ and Yb3+, a characteristic that seems to be linked to the specific chemical structure of the β-triketonate ligands.

Verdelho is a white-grape-vine, traditionally used in Madeira wine production, which grows well in the Granite Belt region of the Australian state of Queensland, where it usually originate dry white wines. In this work, a complete volatile characterisation of Verdelho wines from the 2012 vintage produced in the Granite Belt region was carried out. Volatile compounds were isolated by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE), and identified and quantified using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis (GC-MS). At the same time, a corresponding sensory characterisation of this distinctive Australian wine style has been investigated, by subjecting the most characteristic wines to a sensory descriptive analysis. The chemical compounds that mostly contributed to the flavour of these Verdelho wines were related to fruity sweet notes (ethyl esters and acetates), grass notes (3-hexenol), floral aromas (2-phenylethanol and β-linalool) and cheesy aromas (fatty acids). The results from sensory analysis confirmed that all the Verdelho wines analysed were characterised by fruity aroma attributes, especially of “tree-fruit” and “rockmelon”, together with “herbaceous”, while some significant differences in the other sensory attributes were found between samples.