Phosphorescent Platinum(II) Complexes Based on C∧C* Cyclometalating Aryltriazol-5-ylidenes

Facile synthesis and bonding of 4-ferrocenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene complexes

Ferrocene-substituted carbenes have emerged as attractive, redox-active ligands. However, among the compounds studied to date, ferrocenylated 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidenes, which are closely related to the archetypal imidazol-2-ylidenes, are still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the triazolium salt [CHN(Me)NCHN(Fc)]I (2; Fc = ferrocenyl), obtained by alkylation of 4-ferrocenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole (1) with MeI, reacts selectively with metal alkoxide/hydroxide precursors [(cod)Rh(OMe)]2 and [(IPr)Au(OH)] (cod = cycloocta-1,5-diene, IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) to produce the ferrocene-substituted 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene complexes [(cod)RhI{CN(Me)NCHN(Fc)}] and [(IPr)Au{CN(Me)NCHN(Fc)}]I in good yields. The complexes were characterised by NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Density function theory (DFT) calculations were used to rationalise the electrochemical behaviour of the carbene complexes and to elucidate the bonding situation in these compounds. An analysis using intrinsic bond orbitals (IBOs) revealed that the 1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene ligand exerted a strong trans influence and showed a synergistic stabilisation by the negative inductive and positive π-donor effects of the nitrogen atoms adjacent to the carbene carbon atom; these effects were enhanced by conjugation with the CHN bond at the exterior, similar to that in imidazol-2-ylidenes.

Controlling the Triplet Potential Energy Surface of Bimetallic Platinum(II) Complex by Constructing Structure-Property Relationship: A Theoretical Exploration

For phosphorescent materials, managing the triplet potential energy surface stands for controlling the phosphorescence quantum yield. However, due to the complexity and variability, the triplet potential energy surface can be managed with difficulty. In this work, a series of bimetallic Pt(II) complexes, namely Pt-1, Pt-1-1, Pt-1-2, Pt-2, Pt-3-5, and Pt-6-7, are employed as models to construct a relationship between the structures and triplet potential energy surfaces, aiming to achieve meaningful information to manage the triplet potential energy surface. On the basis of the results, it is observed that the triplet potential energy surface has an intimate connection with the structures of bimetallic Pt(II) complexes. In the case of the primordial Pt(II) complex, the triplet potential energy surface consists of two minimal points, illustrating various properties, which can largely affect the phosphorescence quantum yield. Once the intramolecular steric hindrance, restriction effect, and metallophilic interaction (Pt-Pd/Pd-Pd) are employed by tailoring the structures of primordial Pt(II) complexes, the triplet potential energy surface can be reconstructed via one minimal point-charactered short metal-metal distance, resulting in different photophysical properties. The relationship between the triplet potential energy surface and structure is essentially unveiled from the structural and electronic viewpoints. The conclusions originated from the structural and electronic investigations can be regarded as indicators to accurately and expediently predict the triplet potential energy surfaces of bimetallic Pt(II) complexes. The results presented here are helpful in addressing the designed strategies as they show that the triplet potential energy surfaces of bimetallic Pt(II) complexes can be properly tuned.

Towards new coordination modes of 1,2,3-triazolylidene: controlled by the nature of the 1st metalation in a heteroditopic bis-NHC ligand

An unusual effect of the nature of the first metal coordination of a heteroditopic N-heterocyclic carbene ligand (L2) towards the coordination behavior of 1,2,3-tzNHC is explored. The first metal coordination at the ImNHC site (complexes 3 and 4) was noted to substantially influence the electronics of the 1,2,3-triazolium moiety leading to an unprecedented chemistry of this MIC donor. Along this line, the Rh^III/Ir^III-orthometalation in complexes 4 makes the triazolium C₄-H more downfield shifted than C₅-H, whereas a reverse trend, although to a lesser extent, is observed in the case of the non-chelated Pd^II-coordination. This difference in behavior assisted us to achieve the selective activation of triazole C₄/C₅ positions, not observed before, as supported by the isolation of the homo- and hetero-bimetallic complexes, 5, 6 and 7-9via C₅- and C₄-metalation, respectively. Furthermore, the %V _bur calculations eliminate any considerable steric influence and the DFT studies strongly support the selectivity observed during bimetalation.

N-heterocyclic carbene-stabilized metal nanoparticles within porous organic cages for catalytic application

Tuning the surface-embellishing ligands of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a powerful strategy to modulate their morphology and surface electronic and functional features, impacting their catalytic activity and selectivity. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of a polytriazolium organic cage PIC-T, capable of stabilizing PdNPs within its discrete cavity. The obtained material (denoted Pd@PCC-T) is highly durable and monodispersed with narrow particle-size distribution of 2.06 ± 0.02 nm, exhibiting excellent catalytic performance and recyclability in the Sonogashira coupling and tandem reaction to synthesize benzofuran derivatives. Further investigation indicates that the modulation of N-heterocyclic carbene sites embedded in the organic cage has an impact on NPs' catalytic efficiency, thus providing a novel methodology to design superior NP catalysts.

Mesoionic and Related Less Heteroatom-Stabilized N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Synthesis, Catalysis, and Other Applications

Mesoionic carbenes are a subclass of the family of N-heterocyclic carbenes that generally feature less heteroatom stabilization of the carbenic carbon and hence impart specific donor properties and reactivity schemes when coordinated to a transition metal. Therefore, mesoionic carbenes and their complexes have attracted considerable attention both from a fundamental point of view as well as for application in catalysis and beyond. As a follow-up of an earlier Chemical Reviews overview from 2009, the organometallic chemistry of N-heterocyclic carbenes with reduced heteroatom stabilization is compiled for the 2008-2017 period, including specifically the chemistry of complexes containing 1,2,3-triazolylidenes, 4-imidazolylidenes, and related 5-membered N-heterocyclic carbenes with reduced heteratom stabilization such as (is)oxazolylidenes, pyrrazolylidenes, and thiazolylidenes, as well as pyridylidenes as 6-membered N-heterocyclic carbenes with reduced heteroatom stabilization. For each ligand subclass, metalation strategies, electronic and steric properties, and applications, in particular, in metal-mediated catalysis, are compiled. Mesoionic carbenes demonstrate particularly high activity in (water) oxidation, hydrogen transfer reactions, and cyclization reactions. Unique features of these ligands are identified such as their dipolar structure, their specific donor properties, as well as stability aspects of the ligand and the complexes, which provides opportunities for further research.

4,5-Substituted C^C* cyclometalated thiazol-2-ylidene platinum(ii) complexes - synthesis and photophysical properties

We report the synthesis of seven novel backbone functionalized N-phenyl-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene platinum(ii) complexes and their photophysical properties. Electronically diverse N-phenyl-1,3-thiazol-2-thiones were prepared by a reaction of aniline with carbon disulfide and different α-haloketone compounds. Oxidative desulfuration and salt metathesis yielded the desired NHC-precursors with hexafluorophosphate counterions. In addition, a new route for the synthesis of N-phenyl-1,3-benzo[d]thiazole tetrafluoroborate via N-arylation using hypervalent iodine species is presented. All complexes were prepared from the corresponding NHC precursor in a one-pot process using silver(i)oxide, transmetalation to platinum and reaction with the β-diketone acetylacetone under basic conditions. These complexes exhibit strong phosphorescence with quantum yields up to 72% in 2 wt% PMMA films with decay lifetimes of 8.8-12.3 μs. The influence of methyl- and phenyl-groups, and an ester-substituent at the 4- and/or 5-position of the 1,3-thiazole moiety, as well as the N-phenyl-1,3-benzo[d]thiazole-derived motif is discussed. The 4,5-unsubstituted-N-phenyl-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene platinum(ii) acetylacetonato complex served as a reference in this study to evaluate the electronic effects originating from the backbone substitution. All complexes emit in a narrow range of the bluish-green spectrum of the visible light (510 ± 10 nm).

Theoretical Study and Design of Phosphorescent Cyclometalated (C∧C*)PtII(acac) Complexes: The Substituent Effect Controls the Radiative and Nonradiative Decay Processes

Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations were performed to evaluate the influence of substituent effect of (1) R = 4-Me, (2) R = 4-OMe, and (3) R = 2,3-OC₆H₄ on the phenyl ring of (C^∧C*)Pt^II(acac) (C^∧C* = phenylimidazole, acac = acetylacetone), respectively, on absorption and phosphorescent spectra properties, as well as the radiative and nonradiative processes. We found that emissions of complexes 2 and 3 originate from the Kasha-like T₁ state, whereas that of complex 1 originates from non-Kasha T₂ state. Compared with the emission of complex 1, the emission peaks of 2 and 3 are red-shifted, which is attributed to p-π and π-π conjugation effects resulting from the electron-donating groups -OCH₃ and -OC₆H₄ with ligand C^∧C*, respectively. The radiative rate constants (κ_r) of 2 and 3 are larger than that of 1, namely, κ_r(1) < κ_r(2) < κ_r(3), indicating that κ_r can be efficiently increased by enlarging π-conjugation at the main ligand of (C^∧C*)Pt^II(acac), which can cause the increase of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) matrix elements. At the same time, the activation energy barriers for the rate-limiting step can be largely raised accompanied by enlarging the ability of electron-donation of the substituent group at the main ligand of (C^∧C*)Pt^II(acac), which can cause the decrease of the nonradiative rate constant (κ_nr), namely, κ_nr(1) > κ_nr(2) > κ_nr(3). According to Φ_P = κ_r/(κ_r + κ_nr), the quantum yields should have the sequence Φ_P(1) < Φ_P(2) < Φ_P(3), which is in accordance with the experiment. In addition, to guide experimental synthesis of highly efficient (C^∧C*)Pt^II(acac), a new complex 4 through extending the π-conjugation in the C^∧C* ligand of (C^∧C*)Pt^II(acac) was theoretically designed, which has a larger quantum yield than 1-3.

Changing the Emission Properties of Phosphorescent C^C*-Cyclometalated Thiazol-2-ylidene Platinum(II) Complexes by Variation of the β-Diketonate Ligands

Cyclometalated thiazol-2-ylidene platinum(II) complexes based on the N-phenyl-4,5-dimethyl-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand and seven different β-diketonate ligands have been synthesised and investigated for their structural and photophysical properties. The complexes were synthesised in a one-pot procedure starting with the in situ formation of the corresponding silver(I) carbene and transmetalation to platinum, followed by the reaction with the respective β-diketonate under basic conditions. All the compounds were fully characterised by standard techniques, including ¹⁹⁵ Pt NMR spectroscopy. Three solid-state structures revealed quite different aggregation behaviour depending on the β-diketonate architecture. The reported complexes showed strong phosphorescence at room temperature in amorphous poly(methyl methacrylate) films. The emission wavelengths (ca. 510 nm) were found to be independent of the β-diketonate ligand, but the electronically diverse β-diketonates strongly influence the observed quantum yields (QY) and decay lifetimes. The results of theoretical studies employing density functional theory (DFT) methods support the conclusion of a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (³ MLCT) as the main emission process, in accordance with the reported photophysical properties. Standard organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) prepared with unoptimised matrix materials using one of the complexes showed values of 12.3 % external quantum yield, 24.0 lm W^-1 luminous efficacy and 37.8 cd A^-1 current efficiency at 300 cd m^-2 .

Phosphorescent Platinum(II) Complexes with C∧C* Cyclometalated NHC Ligands

This Account describes our achievements toward the development of a new class of platinum(II) complexes with interesting photophysical properties. The general motif of a strongly donating N-heterocyclic carbene with a cyclometalating phenyl group attached to the nitrogen atom together with β-diketonate based counterligands enabled us to synthesize a new class of phosphorescent emitters for use in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). This Account is divided into sections and introduces imidazolium based as well as triazolium based structures and discusses the effects of structural changes on the photophysical properties. Starting from the basic methylated (substituted) phenylimidalium presursors, we initially extended the π-system of the phenyl ring to the dibenzofuran ligand, its regioisomer, and thio-derivative. As the substituents of the β-diketonate ligands turned out to have a strong influence on the photophysical properties (higher quantum yields as well as shorter decay times) a series of dibenzofuranyl-3-methylimidazol as well as diphenylbenzimidazol platinum complexes were synthesized to investigate the different steric and electronic effects, which are described in a separate section. The next section of the Account then describes other extensions of the π-system. Exchange of the methyl group against a phenyl ring, as well as the extension of the π-system in the backbone of the NHC-ligand lead to a significant improvement of the photophysical properties, which reached a maximum for the diphenylbenzimidazole (DPBIC) system. Further extension of the π-system to the diphenylnaphthylimidazol then lead to a unfavorable long decay time. The effect of substitution is discussed for cyano groups, which change the electronic situation and lead to highly emissive complexes. We are currently working on studying the effect of other substituents on the photophysical properties, as well as the introduction of additional heteroatoms into the general motif. Our initial work in that area had been on 1,2,4-triazole complexes. For the basic phenyl/methyl substituted system, two different isomers are accessible, the 4-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazoles as well as the 1-phenyl-1H-1,2,4 triazoles. It was interesting to note that the photophysical properties of the corresponding complexes are strongly dependent on the substituent R of the β-diketonate ligand. For R = methyl, the properties are significantly different, while we found almost identical photophysical results for R = mesityl for both 1,2,4-triazole isomers. The last section describes the synthesis of bimetallic complexes. To investigate whether it is possible to cyclometalate twice into the same phenyl ring, we synthesized dicationic NHC precursors from para- and meta-disubstituted bis(imidazole)benzenes. The bimetallic complexes show interesting photophysical properties with quantum yields of up to 93%. All experimental work was accompanied by quantum chemical calculations, which turned out to be very useful for the prediction of the emission wavelengths as well as the interpretation of the emissive states of the platinum complexes.

Binuclear C^C* Cyclometalated Platinum(II) NHC Complexes with Bridging Amidinate Ligands

Binuclear C^C* cyclometalated NHC platinum(II) compounds with bridging amidinate ligands were synthesized to evaluate their photophysical properties. Their three-dimensional structures were determined by a combination of 2D NMR experiments, mass spectrometry, DFT calculations, and solid-state structure analysis. The bridging amidinate ligands enforce short distances between the platinum centers of the two cyclometalated structures, which gives rise to extraordinary photophysical properties.

Platinum complexes bearing normal and mesoionic N-heterocyclic carbene based pincer ligands: syntheses, structures, and photo-functional attributes

Platinum complexes featuring pyridine bis-N-heterocyclic imidazol-2-ylidene/triazol-5-ylidene donors are prepared and screened for vapo/mechanochromic attributes.

C^C* cyclometalated platinum(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes with a sterically demanding β-diketonato ligand – synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties

Neutral cyclometalated platinum(ii) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes [Pt(C^C*)(O^O)] with C^C* ligands based on 1-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene and 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene, as well as acetylacetonato (O^O = acac) and 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)propan-1,3-dionato (O^O = mesacac) ancillary ligands were synthesized and characterized. All complexes are emissive at room temperature in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix with emission maxima in the blue region of the spectrum. High quantum efficiencies and short decay times were observed for all complexes with mesacac ancillary ligands. The sterically demanding mesityl groups of the mesacac ligand effectively prevent molecular stacking. The emission behavior of these emitters is in general independent of the position of the nitrogen in the backbone of the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) unit and a variety of substituents in 4-position of the phenyl unit, meta to the cyclometalating bond.

Crystal structures of five 1-alkyl-4-aryl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium halide salts

The asymmetric units for the salts 4-(4-fluoro-phen-yl)-1-isopropyl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium iodide, C11H13FN3 (+)·I(-), (1), 1-isopropyl-4-(4-methyl-phen-yl)-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium iodide, C12H16N3 (+)·I(-), (2), 1-isopropyl-4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium iodide, C11H14N3 (+)·I(-), (3), and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium iodide, C9H10N3 (+)·I(-), (4), contain one cation and one iodide ion, whereas in 1-benzyl-4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium bromide monohydrate, C15H14N3 (+)·Br(-)·H2O, (5), there is an additional single water mol-ecule. There is a predominant C-H⋯X(halide) inter-action for all salts, resulting in a two-dimensional extended sheet network between the triazolium cation and the halide ions. For salts with para-substitution on the aryl ring, there is an additional π-anion inter-action between a triazolium carbon and iodide displayed by the layers. For salts without the para-substitution on the aryl ring, the π-π inter-actions are between the triazolium and aryl rings. The melting points of these salts agree with the predicted substituent inductive effects.

Tamarix gallica leaf extract mediated novel route for green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles and their application for N-arylation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles under ligand-free conditions

We report the green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using Tamarix gallica leaf extract and their catalytic activity for N-arylation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles with aryl halides under ligand-free conditions.

Blue phosphorescent N-heterocyclic carbene chelated Pt(ii) complexes with an α-duryl-β-diketonato ancillary ligand

Blue phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes that display bright blue emission in the solid state have been obtained employing NHC-based C^∧C*-chelate ligands and an α-duryl-β-diketonato ancillary ligand that provides steric blocking to minimize intermolecular interactions.

Photophysical and DFT studies on cycloplatinated complexes: modification in luminescence properties by expanding of π-conjugated systems

The luminescent properties of cycloplatinated complexes containing aryl and SMe₂ ligands, [Pt(p-MeC₆H₄)(ĈN)(SMe₂)], (ĈN = benzo[h]quinolate (bzq), 1, or 2-phenylpyridinate (ppy), 2), were investigated in solution and solid state.