Crystal engineering of aurophilic supramolecular architectures and coordination polymers based on butterfly-like Copper-dicyanoaurate complexes: vapochromism, P-T behaviour and multi-metallic cocrystal formation

Using the equilibrium properties of CuII in the presence of the chelating ligand and the characteristics of the dicyanoaurate anion, we were able to obtain a family of 10 bimetallic...

Modeling the photophysics of Zn and Cd monomers, metallophilic dimers, and covalent excimers

Density functional (Xα, BLYP, BPW91, B3LYP, and B3PW91), MP2, and coupled cluster with singles, doubles, and quasiperturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)) methods in combination with LANL2DZ, cc-pVxZ, cc-pVxZ-PP, or cc-pVxZ-DK (where x = D (double), T (triple) Q (quadruple), and 5 (quintuple)) basis sets have been employed in computations of excited states of zinc and cadmium dimers and monomers. The spectroscopic constants r(e), D(e), T(e), ω(e), ω(e)x(e), and B(e) are compared among group 12 dimers in their ground and low-lying phosphorescent excited states. The weak metallophilic bonding in the ground state requires MP2 or CCSD(T) description, whereas the excimeric bonding is well described by CCSD(T), BLYP, B3LYP, BPW91, and B3PW91. Consistent with our previous work on Hg(n) species, absorption and phosphorescence transition energies that agree well with experimental results can be obtained with CCSD(T) and B3PW91 methods in combination with the correlation consistent basis sets of triple-ζ or higher level. This is the case for monomers and *Cd(2) and *Zn(2) lowest triplet excimers (in either the (3)Σ(u)(+) or (3)Π(g) state). The CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV5Z-PP combination results in values that are only 150 and 240 cm(-1) (<1% errors) removed from the experimental values for the (1)S → (3)D atomic transitions for Zn and Cd, respectively. Such spectroscopic constants provide the most accurate theoretical values known to date for bonding and photophysical parameters characteristic of Zn(n) and Cd(n) species.

Observation of a Mixed-Metal Transition in Heterobimetallic Au/Ag Dicyanide Systems

Crystals of the mixed-metal heterobimetallic Au/Ag dicyanide complex, K[AuxAg1-x(CN)2] (x = 0-->1), were obtained by slow evaporation. The mixed-metal complex K[Au0.44Ag0.56(CN)2] crystallizes in a rhombohedral crystal system, space group R. The crystal structure consists of layers of linear chains of Au(CN)2- and Ag(CN)2- ions and K+ ions that connect the layers through the N atoms. The excitation and emission spectra of single crystals of K[AuxAg1-x(CN)2] were recorded at 4.2-180 K using excitation wavelengths between 230 and 260 nm. Two emission bands due to Ag-Au interactions were observed at 343 and 372 nm. Lifetime measurements indicate the shorter-wavelength emission corresponds to fluorescence and the longer-wavelength band is phosphorescence. These new emission bands are not seen in the pure K[Ag(CN)2] or pure K[Au(CN)2] crystals. Extended Hückel calculations show that the LUMO of the mixed-metal system is bonding while the HOMO is antibonding or very weakly bonding. Moreover, excited-state extended Hückel calculations indicate the formation of exciplexes with shorter metal-metal distances and higher metal-metal overlap populations than the corresponding ground-state oligomers. The luminescence is assigned to a mixed-metal transition from a molecular orbital with Au character to a molecular orbital with Ag character.

Structure Study and Luminescence Thermochromism in Hexanuclear 6-Methyl-2-Pyridinethiolato Copper(I) Crystals

The structure of hexanuclear 6-methyl-2-pyridinethiolato copper(I) [Cu6(6-mpyt)(6)] crystals has been studied by the X-ray diffraction analysis. These crystals show highly efficient luminescence whose color changes drastically from red to green-blue with lowering temperature from room temperature (RT) to liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT). This is a new example of luminescence thermochromism for hexanuclear copper(I) cluster compounds. Two relaxed luminescence bands appear predominantly: one (CC-band), red luminescence appearing in the lower-energy region around 1.8 eV at higher temperature, is assigned to the transition between intramolecular orbitals (MO) of a Cu cluster center (CC), and the other (CT-band), green-blue luminescence appearing at the higher energy side of 2.6 eV than the CC-band at lower temperature, is assigned to a charge transfer (CT) transition from the CC-MO to a ligand MO. Additionally, the CT band can be deconvoluted to two subbands CT(L) and CT(H). The intensities of the CC- and the CT-bands change complementarily with temperature via a thermal activation process, giving the thermochromism. All of these band shapes can be fitted by a Gaussian function, and their widths are fairly large obeying the hyperbolic cotangent law. These features reflect our system to be a strong electron-lattice coupling one. The relaxation process of the photoexcited states is discussed in terms of a configuration coordinate model.

Electronic Structure of Mercury Oligomers and Exciplexes: Models for Long-Range/Multicenter Bonding in Phosphorescent Transition-Metal Compounds

Spectroscopic and bonding properties of Hg(n) oligomers and *Hg(n) exciplexes are determined by rigorous theoretical treatments. Reliable values that agree well with experimental data have been computed for the luminescence energies and other molecular spectroscopic parameters by making a careful selection of theoretical methods and basis sets. The calculations clarified the assignments for several phosphorescence bands in the mercury vapor based on calculated energies and other parameters that quantify the large excited-state distortion in the emitting states. Both the weak ground-state mercurophilic bonding and the stronger covalent bonding in the triplet and quintet excited states studied are found to be cooperative, which is important for fundamental and applied research for luminescent and magnetic materials that have spectral behavior similar to that of Hg(n) systems.