Tricarbonyl rhenium complex of 2,6-bis(8′-quinolinyl)pyridine: Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, X-ray structure and DFT calculations

2,6-Bis(8′-quinolinyl)pyridine (bqp) reacts with pentacarbonyl rhenium chloride in toluene to give fac,fac-[Re(bqp-κ3N)(CO)3](Cl). X-ray crystallographic data on fac,fac-[Re(bqp-κ3N)(CO)3](Cl) show that the bqp ligand and carbonyl ligands achieve a mutually facial arrangement. A mix of MLCT and π–π* ligand centered transitions is observed for the low energy UV–vis absorption bands. The complex is emissive in solution and appears to be dominated by a MLCT-based process. Electronic and structural characteristics are supported by DFT calculations.