Divalent tetra- and penta-phenylcyclopentadienyl europium and samarium sandwich and half-sandwich complexes: synthesis, characterization, and remarkable luminescence properties

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Kelly, Rory P.;Bell, Toby D.M.;Cox, Rosalind P.;Daniels, Daisy P.;Deacon, Glen B.;Jaroschik, Florian;Junk, Peter C.;Le Goff, Xavier F.;Lemercier, Gilles;Martinez, Agathe;Wang, Jun;Werner, Daniel
Abstract

The synthesis of the bulky divalent (polyphenylcyclopentadienyl)lanthanoid sandwich complexes [Ln(C5Ph5)2] (Ln = Sm, Eu) and [Ln(C5Ph4H)2(solv)] (Ln = Sm, solv = thf; Ln = Eu, solv = dme)], from redox-transmetalation/protolysis (RTP) reactions, has been achieved. An analogous reaction with Yb afforded the solvent-separated ion pair [Yb(dme)4][C5Ph4H]2. In addition, rare divalent samarium halide complexes [Sm(C5Ph5)(μ-Br)(thf)2]2 and [Sm(C5Ph4H)I(thf)3], were also prepared, either by RTP or ligand rearrangement. X-ray studies showed that the [Ln(C5Ph5)2] complexes adopt highly symmetrical sandwich structures, whereas the [Ln(C5Ph4H)2(solv)] complexes have open sandwich structures. The unexpected, but limited, solubility of the [Ln(C5Ph5)2] complexes allowed for variable-temperature NMR spectra of [Sm(C5Ph5)2] to be obtained. Detailed 1D and 2D NMR studies were conducted on [Sm(C5Ph4H)2(thf)] to ascertain its structure in donor and nondonor solvents. During the course of these studies, the mixed tetraarylcyclopentadienyl sandwich complex [Sm{C5(2,5-Ph)2(3,4-p-tol2)H}2(thf)] was also prepared in order to fully assign the spectrum of [Sm(C5Ph4H)2(thf)]. The europium sandwich complexes [Eu(C5Ph5)2] and [Eu(C5Ph4H)2(dme)] exhibit remarkable luminescence properties with high quantum yields (45% and 41%, respectively) coupled with long emission lifetimes (approximately 800 and 1300 ns, respectively) in toluene.

Journal

Organometallics

Publication Name

N/A

Volume

34

ISBN/ISSN

1520-6041

Edition

N/A

Issue

23

Pages Count

13

Location

N/A

Publisher

American Chemical Society

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1021/acs.organomet.5b00842