Adducts of europium β-diketonates with nitrogen p,p′-disubstituted bipyridine and phenanthroline ligands: Synthesis, structural characterization, and luminescence studies

Europium complexes featuring fluorinated β-diketonate ligands [thenoyltrifluoroacetone (tta), 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione (btfac), and 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionate (hfac)] and nitrogen p,p′-disubstituted bipyridine and phenanthroline ligands [4,4′-dimethoxy-2,2′-bipyridine (dmbipy) and 4,7-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dmphen)] were synthesized. Their structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Octacoordinate complexes were obtained using trifluorinated tta and btfac, while nonacoordinated complexes were produced using hexafluorinated hfac. The differences in coordination number and bond lengths of these complexes are rationalized in terms of the electronic and steric features of the ligands. UV excitation of the complexes led to red luminescence characteristic of trivalent europium ion. The high overall quantum yields observed for the europium complexes bearing hfac and dmbipy or dmphen ligands are rationalized in terms of the relatively high ligand-to-metal energy transfer efficiencies.