Luminescent homoatomic exciplexes in dicyanoargenate(I) ions doped in alkali halide crystals. ‘Exciplex tuning’ by site-selective excitation and variation of the dopant concentration

Site-Selective Excitation of Ti3+ Ions in Rutile TiO2 via Anisotropic Intra-Atomic 3d → 3d Transition

Site-selective excitation (SSE), which is usually realized by tuning the wavelength of absorbed light, is an ideal way to study bond-selective chemistry, analyze the crystal structure, investigate protein conformation, etc., eventually leading to active manipulation of desired processes. Herein, SSE has been explored in (110)-, (100)-, and (011)-faced rutile TiO2, a prototypical material in both surface science and photocatalysis fields. Using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and photon energy-, substrate orientation-, and laser polarization-dependent two-photon photoemission spectroscopy (2PPE), intra-atomic 3d → 3d transition from the split Ti3+ 3d orbitals, i.e., band gap states and excited states at ∼1.00 eV below and ∼2.40 eV above the Fermi level, respectively, has been proven for all of the samples, suggesting that it is a common property of this material. The distinct structure of rutile TiO2 results in the anisotropic 3d → 3d transitions with the transition dipole moment along the long axes ([110] and [11̅0]) of TiO6 blocking units. This anisotropy facilitates the selective excitation of Ti3+ ions in the two types of TiO6, which cannot be realized by conventional wavelength tuning, via polarization alignment of the excitation source. Discovery in this work builds the foundation for future investigation of site-selective photophysical and photochemical processes and eventually possible active manipulation in this material at the atomic level.

Spectroscopic mapping of the gold complex oligomers (dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer) by excited-state coherent nuclear wavepacket motion in aqueous solutions

We investigate the excited-state dynamics of the [Au(CN)₂^-] oligomers following photo-initiated intermolecular Au-Au bond formation by carrying out femtosecond time-resolved absorption and emission measurements at various concentrations (0.080-0.6 mol dm^-3) with different photoexcitation wavelengths (290-340 nm). The temporal profiles of the time-resolved absorption signals exhibit clear oscillations arising from the Au-Au stretch coherent wavepacket motion of the excited-state oligomers, which is initiated with the photo-induced Au-Au bond formation. The frequency of the observed oscillation is changed with the change of the concentration, excitation wavelength, and wavelength of the excited-state absorption monitored, reflecting the change in the size of the oligomers detected. Fourier transforms (FTs) of the oscillations provide 2D plots of the FT amplitude against the oscillation frequency versus the detected wavelengths. Because the FT amplitude exhibits a node at the peak wavelength of the absorption of the species that gives rise to the oscillation, the 2D plots enabled us to determine the peak wavelength of the excited-state absorption of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer. We also performed femtosecond time-resolved absorption measurements for the 0.3 mol dm^-3 solution with 260 nm photoexcitation, which is the condition employed in previous time-resolved X-ray studies (e.g., K. H. Kim et al. Nature, 2015, 518 (7539), 385-389). It was found that various excited-state oligomers, including the dimer, were simultaneously generated under this condition, although the analysis of the previous time-resolved X-ray studies was made by assuming that only the excited-state trimer was generated. The obtained results show that the excited-state dynamics of the trimer claimed based on the time-resolved X-ray data is questionable and that re-analysis and re-examining of its data are necessary.

Excimer and Exciplex Formation in Gold(I) Complexes Preconditioned by Aurophilic Interactions

Excimers and exciplexes are defined as assemblies of atoms or molecules A/A' where interatomic/intermolecular bonding appears only in excited states such as [A2 ]* (for excimers) and [AA']* (for exciplexes). Their formation has become widely known because of their role in gas-phase laser technologies, but their significance in general chemistry terms has been given little attention. Recent investigations in gold chemistry have opened up a new field of excimer and exciplex chemistry that relies largely on the preorganization of gold(I) compounds (electronic configuration AuI (5d10 )) through aurophilic contacts. In the corresponding excimers, a new type of Au⋅⋅⋅Au bonding arises, with bond energies and lengths approaching those of ground-state Au-Au bonds between metal atoms in the Au0 (5d10 6s1 ) and AuII (5d9 ) configurations. Excimer formation gives rise to a broad range of photophysical effects, for which some of the relaxation dynamics have recently been clarified. Excimers have also been shown to play an important role in photoredox binuclear gold catalysis.

In vitro biological properties and predicted DNA–BSA interaction of three new dicyanidoargentate(i)-based complexes: synthesis and characterization

The synthesis, characterization and biological activity of three novel dicyanidoargentate(i)-based complexes are reported. The in vitro results show that these complexes may be potent antiproliferative drug candidates.

Synthesis and crystal structure of a cyanido-bridged copper(II)–silver(I) bimetallic complex containing a trimeric {[Ag(CN)2]−}3 anion, [Cu(Dach)2-Ag(CN)2-Cu(Dach)2][Ag(CN)2]3 (Dach=cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane)

A new cyanido-bridged bimetallic copper(II)–silver(I) complex, [Cu(Dach)2-Ag(CN)2-Cu(Dach)2][Ag(CN)2]3 (1) (Dach=cis-1,2-diaminocyclohexane), has been prepared and characterized by IR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray analysis. The crystal structure of complex 1 consists of a centrosymmetric trinuclear cation and three non-coordinated [Ag(CN)2]− ions assembled in the form of a trimer, {[Ag(CN)2]−}3. The complex ion is made up of two [Cu(Dach)2]2+ units connected by a bridging [Ag(CN)2]− anion. The copper atom in the complex ion assumes a distorted square pyramidal geometry with CN− nitrogen atoms occupying the apical position. The trinuclear units are joined by hydrogen bonding to form irregular chains.

Considerable Enhancement of Emission Yields of [Au(CN)2(-)] Oligomers in Aqueous Solutions by Coexisting Cations

The photophysical properties of [Au(CN)2(-)] oligomers in aqueous solutions were investigated as functions of coexisting cations as well as the viscosity and temperature of solutions. A solution of [Au(CN)2(-)] in the concentration range of 0.03-0.2 mol/dm(3) exhibited emission peaks at 460-480 nm because of the presence of oligomers larger than trimers. Although the emission yields (ϕem) of K[Au(CN)2] solutions were <1%, it considerably increased to 43% when 1.0 mol/dm(3) tetraethylammonium chloride (Et4NCl) was added. The lifetimes of the main emission bands were also significantly varied with additional salts, e.g., KCl, 15 ns; Et4NCl, 520 ns. The time-resolved emission measurements of [Au(CN)2(-)] in a water/glycerol mixture indicated that the lifetimes were almost directly proportional to the inverse of the viscosity of the solution. On the other hand, the intrinsic lifetimes of dimers and trimers with weak emission in shorter wavelength regions were very short and independent of the viscosity of the solutions and coexisting cations (dimer, ∼25 ps; trimer, ∼2 ns). These results indicated that the deactivation of the excited-state [Au(CN)2(-)]n oligomers (n ≥ 4) was dominated by the dissociation of the oligomers to a shorter species (dimer or trimer). The hydrophobic interactions between tetraalkylammonium cations and CN ligands remarkably stabilized the larger oligomers and suppressed the dissociation of the excited-state oligomers, which enhanced the emission yield of the oligomers. This work provides a new method of "exciplex tuning" by changing the environment of excited-state [Au(CN)2(-)]n oligomers.

A Review of Luminescent Anionic Nano System: d10 Metallocyanide Excimers and Exciplexes in Alkali Halide Hosts

Dicyanoaurate, dicyanoargentate, and dicyanocuprate ions in solution and doped in different alkali halide hosts exhibit interesting photophysical and photochemical behavior, such as multiple emission bands, exciplex tuning, optical memory, and thermochromism. This is attributed to the formation of different sizes of nanoclusters in solution and in doped hosts. A series of spectroscopic methods (luminescence, UV-reflectance, IR, and Raman) as well as theoretical calculations have confirmed the existence of excimers and exciplexes. This leads to the tunability of these nano systems over a wide wavelength interval. The population of these nanoclusters varies with temperature and external laser irradiation, which explains the thermochromism and optical memory. DFT calculations indicate an MLCT transition for each nanocluster and the emission energy decreases with increasing cluster size. This is in agreement with the relatively long life-time for the emission peaks and the multiple emission peaks dependence upon cluster concentration.

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.

Changes in electronic properties of polymeric one-dimensional {[M(CN)2]-}n (M = Au, Ag) chains due to neighboring closed-shell Zn(II) or open-shell Cu(II) ions

A series of d(10) dicyanometallate polymeric compounds were studied by electronic spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In these materials, the negatively charged one-dimensional (1D) polymeric chains are linked together by [M(en)(2)](2+) (M = Cu(II) and Zn(II); en = ethylenediamine). More than innocent building blocks, the [M(en)(2)](2+) units offer a possible synthetic way to modify electronic properties of the materials. Through its low energy d-d excited state, the d(9) copper(II) ions offer deactivation pathways for the normally emissive dicyanometallate polymer. Deactivation was shown to be specific to the excited state energy.

The Nature of the AgI⋅⋅⋅AgI Interaction in Different Ag(NH3)2 Dimers Embedded in Supramolecular Solids

An isolated silver(I) ammonia monomer, a dimer, and a novel dimer containing an intercalated water molecule have been embedded as guests in supramolecular frameworks, [Ag(NH3)2][(H2thpe)(H3thpe)].MeCN (1), [{Ag(NH3)2}2][(H2thpe)2]4.25 H2O (2), and [{Ag(NH3)2}-H2O-{Ag(NH3)2}][(H2thpe)(2)]benzene (3) (H3THPE=tris(hydroxyphenyl)ethane). The [{Ag(NH3)2}2]2+ dimer is not stable as an isolated entity, but is stabilized by hydrogen bonding in the supramolecular framework. The water-intercalated silver(I) ammonia dimer, which constitutes a novel species, is also subject by hydrogen bonding in concentrated solutions. The destabilization energy of the dimer relative to isolated monomers is calculated to be approximately 300 kJ mol(-1) by both perturbation methods and DFT theory. For the water-intercalated dimer it is calculated to be approximately 200 kJ mol(-1) according to the BSSE-corrected MP2 calculation. The different aggregate states show a dramatic variation of absorption and emission properties, in accordance with the concentration dependent red-shift observed in solutions. Natural-bond-orbital analysis shows that the disilver-ammonium-aquo "sandwich" cation in 3 is stabilized by interaction between the pi lone pair orbital on the oxygen atom of the water molecule and Ag(I)--N sigma antibonding molecular orbital.

Tunable Photoluminescence of Closed-Shell Heterobimetallic Au−Ag Dicyanide Layered Systems

The excited-state properties of the layered La[Ag(CN)(2)](3) and La[Au(CN)(2)](3) systems have been examined and compared with mixed-metal systems of varying metal ratios such as La[Ag(0.78)Au(0.22)(CN)(2)](3), La[Ag(0.55)Au(0.45)(CN)(2)](3), La[Ag(0.33)Au(0.67)(CN)(2)](3), and La[Ag(0.19)Au(0.81)(CN)(2)](3). We have found that these mixed-metal systems luminesce quite strongly at room temperature at an energy that is tunable and depends on the Au:Ag stoichiometric ratio. The emission energy of the mixed-metal samples lies between those of the pure Au and Ag systems. This provides evidence that the excited states responsible for this emission are delocalized over the Ag and Au centers. The strong luminescence of the mixed-metal systems at ambient temperatures is in stark contrast to the weak luminescence behavior of pure La[Au(CN)(2)](3) and La[Ag(CN)(2)](3) samples, which makes the mixed-metal systems more viable than the pure systems for practical applications.

Structural Variations and Spectroscopic Properties of Luminescent Mono- and Multinuclear Silver(I) and Copper(I) Complexes Bearing Phosphine and Cyanide Ligands

Reaction of equimolar amounts of AgCN and PCy3 gave the polymer [(Cy3P)Ag(NCAgCN)]infinity (1), whereas employment of excess PCy3 yielded the discrete compound [(Cy3P)2Ag(NCAgCN)] (2). Reacting bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane (dcpm) with AgCN in 1:1 and 1:2 molar ratios gave two crystalline forms, namely [Ag2(mu-dcpm)2][Ag(CN)2]2 x (CH3OH)2 (3a x (CH3OH)2) and [Ag2(mu-dcpm)2][Ag(CN)2]2 (3b), respectively. The similar reaction of CuCN with PCy3 afforded the polymeric compound [{(Cy3P)Cu(CN)}3]infinity (4), whereas treatment of CuCN with dcpm gave [Cu2(mu-dcpm)2(CN)2] (5). Employment of diphosphine ligands with longer -(CH2)n- spacers, such as 1,2-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)ethane (dcpe, n = 2) and 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (dppp, n = 3), in reactions with [Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 and KCN afforded the macrocylic compounds [{Cu(dcpe)}2(CN)(mu-dcpe)]PF6 (6(PF6)) and [{Cu(dppp)}3(CN)2(mu-dppp)]PF6 (7(PF6)), respectively. The hexanuclear complex [Cu(CN)(PCy3)]6 (8) was obtained by reacting CuCN with PCy3 in the presence of sodium pyridine-2-thiolate. The UV-vis absorption spectrum of 1 in acetonitrile displays a weak shoulder at 245 nm (epsilon = 350 dm3 mol(-1) cm(-1)). For 3a, 3b, and 5, the intense absorption bands at lambdamax = 257-276 nm with epsilon values of (1.73-1.80) x 10(4) dm3 mol(-1) cm(-1) are assigned to [ndsigma --> (n + 1)psigma] transitions. Complexes 3a and 3b emit at lambdamax = 365 nm in CH3CN (quantum yield approximately 6 x10(-3), lifetime approximately 0.2 micros). The solid-state emission of 5 (lambdamax = 470 and 488 nm at 298 and 77 K) is red-shifted in energy from that of 4 (lambdamax = 401 and 405 nm at 298 and 77 K, respectively). In 77 K MeOH/EtOH (1:4) glassy solution, complexes 4-8 display intense emission with lambdamax at 382-416 nm, which is assigned to the [3d --> (4s, 4p)] triplet excited state.

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.

Structural studies of lanthanide ion complexes of pure gold, pure silver and mixed metal (gold–silver) dicyanides

Crystal structures of four lanthanide complexes of La[Au(CN)2](3).3H2O, La[Ag(CN)2](3).3H2O, La[Ag(0.83)Au(0.17)(CN)2](3).3H2O, and La[Ag(0.39)Au(0.61)(CN)2](3).3H2O are reported. Studies reveal that all the structures reported are isostructural. All systems were found to be in the hexagonal crystal system, space group P6(3)/mcm. The metal-metal distance for the pure gold system is 3.332 (1) A versus 3.359(1) A for the pure silver system. The mixed-metal systems have shown no distinct differences in the location of the metal atoms, with the La[Ag(0.83)Au(0.17)(CN)2](3).3H2O complex having a metal-metal Ag-Au separation of 3.346(1) A, and 3.344(1) A for the La[Ag(0.39)Au(0.61)(CN)2](3).3H2O complex. The crystal structures of the pure and mixed La complexes have been solved to provide evidence of Ag-Au heterometallic interactions and as a basis for understanding the interesting optical properties of the systems.