Synthesis of new red photoluminescent Zn(II)-salicylaldiminato complex

We report the preparation and photophysical properties of a new zinc (II) complex of the donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) type ligand N,N′-bis(2-hydroxy-1-naphthylidene)-diaminomaleonitrile (H2L). The molecular structure of the [(ZnL)·DMF]·DMF complex was determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The complex exhibits remarkable optical features attributed to the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) with a striking red emission. Fluorescence studies of H2L and ZnL reveal that the quantum yield strongly increases upon coordination.