Blue luminescent rigid molecular rods bearing N-7-azaindolyl and 2,2'-dipyridylamino and their Zn(II) and Ag(I) complexes

Rational Design of Mono- and Bi-Nuclear Cyclometalated Ir(III) Complexes Containing Di-Pyridylamine Motifs: Synthesis, Structure, and Luminescent Properties

Heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium (III) complexes (1–3) containing di-pyridylamine motifs were prepared in a stepwise fashion. The presence of the di-pyridylamine ligands tunes their electronic and optical properties, generating blue phosphorescent emitters at room temperature. Herein we describe the synthesis of the mononuclear iridium complexes [Ir(ppy)₂(DPA)][OTf] (1), (ppy = phenylpyridine; DPA = Dipyridylamine) and [Ir(ppy)₂(DPA-PhI)][OTf] (2), (DPA-PhI = Dipyridylamino-phenyliodide). Moreover, the dinuclear iridium complex [Ir(ppy)₂(L)Ir(ppy)₂][OTf]₂ (3) containing a rigid angular ligand “L = 3,5-bis[4-(2,2′-dipyridylamino)phenylacetylenyl]toluene” and displaying two di-pyridylamino groups was also prepared. For comparison purposes, the related dinuclear rhodium complex [Rh (ppy)₂(L)Rh(ppy)₂][OTf]₂ (4) was also synthesized. The x-ray molecular structure of complex 2 was reported and confirmed the formation of the target molecule. The rhodium complex 4 was found to be emissive only at low temperature; in contrast, all iridium complexes 1–3 were found to be phosphorescent in solution at 77 K and room temperature, displaying blue emissions in the range of 478–481 nm.

Deciphering Spectroscopic and Structural Insights into the Photophysical Behavior of 2,2'-Dipyridylamine: An Efficient Environment Sensitive Fluorescence Probe

Excited state deactivation properties and the effects of solvent hydrogen bonding (HB) on the photophysical behavior of 2,2'-dypyridylamine (DPyA) were investigated by steady state and time-resolved fluorescence experiments, molecular docking, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In addition to the polarity effect, the contributions of solvent HB donation (HBD) acidity and HB acceptance (HBA) basicity to modulate the solvatochromic spectral properties were estimated from multiparametric linear regression analysis using Kamlet-Taft (KT) and Catalán formalisms. The importance of C-N bond torsion, leading to the trans → cis conversion, was manifested by substantial increase in DPyA fluorescence yield in the presence of cyclodextrin (CD) and glycerol. The unusually low fluorescence yield in aqueous medium was explained on the basis of synergistic effect of solvent hydrogen bonding combined with excited state conformational isomerization, which renders DPyA to be an excellent environment sensitive fluorescence reporter. The experimental results were verified with structural insights obtained from DFT calculations at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level and construction of potential energy surface (PES) in the ground state as well as in the excited states.

Photoswitchable organoplatinum complexes with an azobenzene derivative of di-2-pyridylamine

The potential for the platinum complexes of an azobenzene substituted dipyridylamine ligand in photodynamic therapy is explored.

2,2'-Dipyridylamines: more than just sister members of the bipyridine family. Applications and achievements in homogeneous catalysis and photoluminescent materials

2,2'-Dipyridylamines (dpa) and related compounds belong to the family of polydentate nitrogen ligands. More than a century has passed since their first report but new complexes and applications have been emerging in recent years owing to the versatility of dpa-based architectures. This review aims to present and highlight the main achievements attained with dpa-containing metal complexes in the domains of homogeneous catalysis and luminescent materials.

Zn(II)-coordination modulated ligand photophysical processes - the development of fluorescent indicators for imaging biological Zn(II) ions

Molecular photophysics and metal coordination chemistry are the two fundamental pillars that support the development of fluorescent cation indicators. In this article, we describe how Zn(II)-coordination alters various ligand-centered photophysical processes that are pertinent to developing Zn(II) indicators. The main aim is to show how small organic Zn(II) indicators work under the constraints of specific requirements, including Zn(II) detection range, photophysical requirements such as excitation energy and emission color, temporal and spatial resolutions in a heterogeneous intracellular environment, and fluorescence response selectivity between similar cations such as Zn(II) and Cd(II). In the last section, the biological questions that fluorescent Zn(II) indicators help to answer are described, which have been motivating and challenging this field of research.

Meso-helicates with rigid angular tetradentate ligand: design, molecular structures, and progress towards self-assembly of metal-organic nanotubes

The self-assembly of two novel metallosupramolecular complexes of the general formulas [L2M2(CH3CN)4][BF4]4 (M = Co, 1a; M = Ni, 1b), where L stands for the tetradentate ligand 3,5-bis[4-(2,2'-dipyridylamino)phenylacetylenyl]toluene, is reported together with their molecular structures ascertained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Complexes 1a and 1b are isostructural and show the formation of dinuclear meso-helicates with the two octahedral metal centers displaying respectively Δ and Λ configurations. These meso-helicates display large nanocavities with metal---metal separation distance of >2 nm; furthermore, π-π-stacking occurs among individual units to form one-dimensional (1D) polymers which further autoassemble in another direction through π-π contacts among neighboring chains to generate a two-dimensional (2D) network with regular nanocavities. Our approach might be of interest to prepare metal-organic nanotubes via a bottom-up strategy depending on the assembling functional ligand and the geometry of molecular building block.

Copper(I) coordination polymers of 2,2'-dipyridylamine derivatives: syntheses, structures, and luminescence

Reactions of CuX (X = Br(-), I(-) or CN(-)) with various types of 2,2'-dipyridylamine (dpa) derivatives have been performed via a hydrothermal-solvothermal method and the products have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Four ligands with different coordination motifs were employed in the reactions, including angular N,N,N',N'-tetra(2-pyridyl)-2,6-pyridinediamine (tppda); linear N,N,N',N'-tetra(2-pyridyl)-1,4-phenylenediamine (tppa) and N,N,N',N'-tetra(2-pyridyl)biphenyl-4,4'-diamine (tpbpa); and star-shaped tris-[4-(2,2'-dipyridylamino)-phenyl]amine (tdpa), which yielded eight copper(I) complexes exhibiting different stoichiometries of Cu-dpa and variable coordination modes of dpa. The compound [Cu(2)(tppda)(μ-I)(2)](n) (1) forms a one dimensional (1D) coordination polymer exclusively through double μ(2)-I bridges, which arranges to two dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) via the face-to-face π···π stacking interactions from pyridyl rings. The compound [Cu(6)(tppa)(μ(3)-Br)(6)](n) (2) forms a 2D network linked through multiple μ(3)-Br bridges. The compound [Cu(2)(tppa)(μ-CN)(2)](n) (3) is also a 2D MOF containing 1D (CuCN)(n) chains. The compounds [Cu(tpbpa)Br](n) (4) and [Cu(4)(tpbpa)(2)(μ-I)(4)](n) (5) display two different 1D assemblies: a zig-zag chain for 4 and a linear structure for 5. The compound [Cu(4)(tpbpa)(μ-CN)(4)](n) (6) shows a pseudo-4,8(2) topological net, while the compound [Cu(8)(tpbpa)(μ-CN)(8)](n)·2nH(2)O (7) exhibits a three-dimensional (3D) framework containing a ···PM··· double helical structure, although both of them contain (CuCN)(n) chains. The compound [Cu(2)(tdpa)(μ-I)(2)](n) (8) is a zig-zag chain based on the star-shaped molecule tpda, in which one of three dpa-arms is free of coordination to metal ions. All complexes exhibit luminescence in the solid state.

Unsymmetrical diimine chelation to M(II) (M=Zn, Cd, Pd): atropisomerism, pi-pi stacking and photoluminescence

Three types of atropisomeric unsymmetrical diimine complexes, tetrahedral (L(R)(Φ))MX(2) (M = Zn, Cd; X = Cl, Br; R = Me, CMe(3), OH, OMe, Cl; 1a-k, type-I), tetrahedral (L(Me2)(Φ))ZnBr(2) (2, type-II) and square planar (L(OH)(ϕ))PdCl(2) (3, type-III) with different photoluminescence properties, have been reported (L(R)(Φ) = (E)-4-R-N-(pyridine-2-ylmethylene)aniline; Φ = dihedral angle between the diimine unit including the pyridine ring and the phenyl ring planes). In crystals, Φ = 0° for type-I, 90° for type-II and 63° for type-III atropisomers have been confirmed by single crystal X-ray structure determinations of 1c, 1e, 2 and 3·H(2)O isomers. Optimizations of geometries in methanol have established Φ = 28-32° for type-I, 90.83° for type-II and 43.44° for type-III isomers. In solids, type-I atropisomers with Φ = 0, behave as conjugated 14πe systems facilitating π-π stacking and are brightly luminescent at room temperature while type-II and type-III isomers in solid and type-I isomers in solutions are more like non-conjugated 8πe + 6πe systems and non-emissive. Frozen glasses of acetonitrile, methanol and dichloromethane-toluene mixture at 77 K of type-I isomers are emissive and display structured excitation and emission spectra for R = Me, CMe(3), OMe species. Excitation and emission maxima of frozen glasses (λ(ex) = 320-380 nm; λ(em) = 440-485 nm) are red shifted in the solid (λ(ex) = 390-455 nm; λ(em) = 470-550 nm). TD-DFT calculations on 1b, 1d, 1f and stacked (1b)(2) isomers and luminescence lifetime measurements have elucidated that an excited (1)ILCT state has been the origin of emission of the type-I isomers and delocalizations of the photoactive π(diimine) and π(diimine)(*) orbitals of the L(R)(Φ) over the stacked layers shift the λ(ext) and λ(em) of solids to lower energies than those in frozen glasses. The trends of diimine ligand based electron transfer events of the complexes in DMF have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry at 298 K.

Electroluminescent Properties of a Schiff-Base Aluminum Complex in Single Layer Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

The Schiff-base ligand aluminum complex, [AlLMe2] [L = ortho-C6H4(NC6H3Me2-2,6)(CH=NC6H3Me2-2,6)], has been synthesised and characterised; its electroluminescent properties are reported. Electroluminescent devices were fabricated by doping [AlLMe2] in a polymer host of poly (vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and 2-tert-butylphenyl-5-biphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) using a simple solution spin-coating technique. The single-layer polymer organic light-emitter devices exhibited green emission, showed maximum current efficiency of 1.4 cd/A and maximum luminance of near 1000 cd/m2.

N2-functionalized blue luminescent guanosines by 2,2'-dipyridylamino and 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl chelate groups and their interactions with Zn(II) ions

The syntheses of new blue luminescent N(2)-modified guanosine derivatives with chromophores p-4,4'-biphenyl-NPh2 (1a), p-4,4'-biphenyl-N(2-py)2 (1b), and p-4,4'-biphenyl-2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazolyl (1c), respectively, have been achieved. These new N(2)-guanosines are moderate blue emitters with lambda(max) = 395 nm (1a), 370 nm (1b), and 403 nm (1c) and Phi = 0.13, 0.07, and 0.10 in tetrahydrofuran, respectively. Spectroscopic studies and density-functional theory calculations established that the guanine moiety and the new chromophore in all three molecules are involved in the luminescent process. We have also established that guanosines 1a-1c can interact with metal ions such as Zn(II). The interactions of Zn(II) ions with the three guanosines were examined via absorption, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and NMR spectroscopic analyses. We have found that these guanosines display a distinct fluorescent response toward Zn(II) ions which can be attributed to the presence of the chelate chromophore N(2-py)2 in 1b and 2-py-benzimidazolyl in 1c. For 1a and 1b, the addition of Zn(II) ions causes straight fluorescent quenching while for 1c the addition of Zn(II) ions causes quenching initially, which is followed by a distinct spectral red shift and the intensity enhancement of the new emission peak. NMR and CD studies demonstrated that the Zn(II) ions bind preferentially to the guanine moiety in 1a and 1b but to the 2-(2'-py)benzimidazolyl chelate site in 1c. Moreover, the anion-dependent CD response of 1a-1c toward Zn(II) salts points to the possible involvement of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the acetate bound to the Zn(II) ion and the hydroxyl groups of the guanosine.