Gold Complexes with Tridentate Cyclometalating and NHC Ligands: A Search for New Photoluminescent Gold(III) Compounds

CCC-NHC Au(iii) pincer complexes as a reliable platform for isolating elusive species

The reactivity of unprecedented CCC-NHC Au(iii) pincer complexes has been investigated, employing a novel methodology for their preparation. Notably, this marks the inaugural case of CCC-NHC Au(iii) pincer complexes with a central aryl moiety where the two arms of the pincer ligand consist of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC). The stability conferred by the CCC-NHC ligand facilitated the isolation of elusive Au(iii) species, encompassing Au(iii)-formate, Au(iii)-F, Au(iii)-Me, and Au(iii)-alkynyl. Our study also unveiled the elusive Au(iii)-H species, offering valuable insights into its formation, stability, and reactivity. While the CCC-NHC Au(iii)-H complex remains stable at room temperature, its decomposition becomes conspicuous at elevated temperatures (>60 °C), exhibiting a more pronounced tendency under acidic conditions compared to basic ones. Through comprehensive experiments, we indirectly demonstrated the potential of Au(iii)-formate to undergo β-hydride elimination, becoming a key step in the dehydrogenation of formic acid. Theoretical calculations revealed variations in the reactivity of Au(iii)-H species towards sodium hydride and formic acid, highlighting a link between σ-donation from the pincer ligand and reaction energetics. Pincers with lower electron donation favored the reaction with sodium hydride but impeded the reaction with formic acid, whereas those with higher electron donation exhibited the opposite behavior. Additionally, the CCC-NHC Au(iii) pincer complex exhibited Lewis acid behavior, catalyzing the synthesis of phenols. In summary, the CCC-NHC Au(iii) pincer complex emerges as a versatile platform for isolating reactive species and unraveling elementary catalytic steps.

Binuclear Macrocyclic Silver(I) Complex of a Bis(carbone) Pincer Ligand: Synthesis and Application as a Carbone-Transfer Agent

A facile synthesis of a binuclear AgI complex 2 of a bis(carbone) ligand L and its application as a carbone-transfer agent for the generation of other transition-metal complexes of AuI (3), NiII (4), and PdII (5) is presented. Complex 2 was synthesized through multiple synthetic routes under mild reaction conditions using the tetracationic [LH4][OTf·Cl]2 precursor salt, the dicationic [LH2][OTf]2 ylide salt, and the free ligand L. The first two synthesis routes require no prior isolation of the air-, moisture-, and temperature-sensitive free ligand L, thus affording complex 2 with high yield and purity. Multinuclear NMR techniques, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the identity of complex 2 as a binuclear AgI complex of L with a molecular formula of [L2Ag2][OTf]2 and a 16-membered-ring metallomacrocyclic structure. During the transmetalation reaction with AuI, the binuclear nature of complex 2 remains intact to give analogous complex 3 ([L2Au2][OTf]2). However, the dimeric structure was disrupted upon the carbone-transfer reaction with NiII and PdII, yielding mononuclear C-N-C pincer-type complexes 4 ([LNiCl][OTf]) and 5 ([LPdCl][OTf]), respectively. These results demonstrated the versatile use of complex 2 as a carbone-transfer agent to other transition metals regardless of the type or size of the metals or the geometry they prefer.

Environmentally Friendly, Photochemical Access to [ N ∧ C ∧ N ]AuIII Pincer Complexes By Oxidative Addition

Starting from commercially available DMSAuCl and diazonium salts, cationic [N∧C∧N ]Au^III complexes were synthesized in a selective, photosensitizer‐free, photochemical reaction by irradiation with blue LED light. This new protocol represents the first easy synthesis of these types of pincer complexes in moderate to excellent yield starting from a readily available gold(I) precursor with nitrogen as the only by‐product. Owing to the disadvantages of known protocols, especially the toxicity in the case of a transmetalation with mercury or the necessity for a mostly twofold excess of a gold precursor, this method offers an attractive alternative towards this kind of gold(III) complexes. In addition, the first arylated [N∧C∧N ]Au(III) pincer complex was synthesized by using this technology.

Acridine N-Heterocyclic Carbene Gold(I) Compounds: Tuning from Yellow to Blue Luminescence

The synthesis and the luminescence features of three gold(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes are presented to study how the n-alkyl group can influence the luminescence properties in the crystalline state. The mononuclear gold(I)-NHC complexes, [(L¹ )Au(Cl)] (1), [(L² )Au(Cl)] (2), and [(L³ )Au(Cl)] (3) were isolated from the reactions between [(tht)AuCl] and corresponding NHC ligand precursors, [N-(9-acridinyl)-N'-(n-butyl)-imidazolium chloride, (L¹ .HCl)], [N-(9-acridinyl)-N'-(n-pentyl)-imidazolium chloride, (L² .HCl)] and [N-(9-acridinyl)-N'-(n-hexyl)-imidazolium chloride, (L³ .HCl)]. Their single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals the influence of the n-alkyl groups on solid-state packing. A comparison of the luminescence features of 1-3 with n-alkyl substituents is explored. The molecules 1-3 depicted blue emission in the solution state, while the yellow emission (for 1), greenish-yellow emission (for 2), and blue emission (for 3) in the crystalline phase. This paradigm emission shift arises from n-butyl to n-pentyl and n-hexyl in the crystalline state due to the carbon-carbon rotation of the n-alkyl group, which tends to promote unusual solid packing. Hence n-alkyl group adds a novel emission property in the crystalline state. Density Functional Theory and Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory calculations were carried out for monomeric complex, N-(9-acridinyl)-N'-(n-heptyl)imidazole-2-ylidene gold(I) chloride and dimeric complex, N-(9-acridinyl)-N'-(n-heptyl)imidazole-2-ylidene gold(I) chloride to understand the structural and electronic properties.

Imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine derivatives: useful, luminescent and versatile scaffolds for different applications

In the last few years, imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine nuclei and derivatives have attracted growing attention due to their unique chemical structure and versatility, optical behaviours, and biological properties.

Unusually Fast Phosphorescence from Ir(III) Complexes via Dinuclear Molecular Design

The design and detailed photophysical study of two novel Ir(III) complexes featuring mono- and dinuclear design are presented. Emission quantum yield and decay times in solution are Φ_PL = 90% and τ(300 K) = 1.16 μs for the mononuclear complex 5, and Φ_PL = 95% and τ(300 K) = 0.44 μs for the dinuclear complex 6. These data indicate an almost 3-fold increase in the phosphorescence rate for dinuclear complex 6 compared to 5. Zero-field splitting (ZFS) of the T₁ state also increases from ZFS = 65 cm^-1 for the mononuclear complex to ZFS = 205 cm^-1 for the dinuclear complex and is accompanied by a drastic shortening of the individual decay times of T₁ substates. With the help of TD-DFT calculations, we rationalize that the drastic changes in the T₁ state properties in the dinuclear complex originate from an increased number of excited states available for direct spin-orbit coupling (SOC) routes as a result of electronic coupling of Ir-Cl antibonding molecular orbitals of the two coordination sites.

A bench stable formal Cu(iii) N-heterocyclic carbene accessible from simple copper(ii) acetate

The first stable formal Cu(iii) NHC and its unusual reactivity with acetate are reported. Several products of this reaction are identified and fully characterised. It reactivity is extensively investigated and additionally explored by means of theoretical, electrochemical and isotope labelling experiments.

For years, Cu(iii)NHCs have been proposed as active intermediates in Cu(i)NHC catalyzed reactions, yielding the desired products by reductive elimination, but until today, no one has ever reported the characterisation of such a compound. When working on the synthesis of biomimetic transition metal (NHC) complexes and their application in homogeneous catalysis, we recently found a highly unusual reactivity for Cu(ii) acetate in the presence of a particular cyclic tetra(NHC) ligand. Therein, the formation of the first stable CuNHC compound, displaying Cu in the formal oxidation state +III, by simple disproportionation of Cu(ii) acetate in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was observed. At elevated temperatures selective mono-oxidation of the NHC ligand occurs, even under anaerobic conditions. Acetate was identified as the origin of the oxygen atom by ¹⁸O-labelling experiments. The remarkably high stability of the title compound was furthermore proven electrochemically by cyclic voltammetry. An in-depth investigation of its reactivity revealed the involvement of four additional compounds. Three of them could be isolated and characterised by ¹H/¹³C-NMR, single crystal XRD, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. The fourth, a Cu(i)NHC intermediate, formed by formal reductive elimination from the Cu(NHC)³⁺ compound, was characterised in situ by ¹H/¹³C-NMR and computational methods.

Synthesis and structure of arylselenium(ii) and aryltellurium(ii) cations based on rigid 5-tert-butyl-1,3-bis-(N-pentylbenzimidazol-2′-yl)benzenes

The transmetalation reactions of mercury precursor, [^Pentyl(N^C^N)HgCl] (19) with selenium and tellurium halides led to isolation of air stable NCN pincer based arylselenium(ii) and aryltellurium(ii) cations due to facile ionization of Se/Te halogen bond.

Luminescent Cyclometalated Gold(III) Alkyl Complexes: Photophysical and Photochemical Properties

A series of luminescent cyclometalated gold(III) complexes having alkyls as auxiliary ligands has been prepared. The alkyl ligand was found to effectively increase the emission quantum yields and lifetimes of luminescent cyclometalated gold(III) complexes by circumventing the population of LLCT excited states that are found in complexes supported by arylacetylide ligands. These gold(III) alkyl complexes exhibit emission quantum yields and lifetimes of up to 0.40 and 180 μs, respectively, in solution at room temperature. The triplet emission color of these complexes is tunable from yellow to sky blue by modifying the cyclometalating ligand.

Structure of 2,2'-(5-tert-butyl-1,3-phenyl-ene)bis-(1-pentyl-1H-benzimidazol-3-ium) tetra-chlorido-mercurate(II)

In the title salt, (C34H44N4)[HgCl4], the [C34H44N4]2+ cations and [HgCl4]2- anions are linked by N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds. One of the two n-pentyl side chains was refined as disordered over two sets of sites, with occupancies of 0.733 (18) and 0.267 (18). The geometry around the HgII atom in the [HgCl4]2- anion is distorted tetra-hedral, with bond angles ranging from 98.16 (3) to 120.68 (3)°. In the [HgCl4]2- anion, there are two short Hg-Cl bonds [2.4120 (9) and 2.4171 (11) Å], one inter-mediate Hg-Cl bond [2.4716 (12) Å] and one long Hg-Cl bond [2.6579 (13) Å] for the Cl atom involved in a trifurcated hydrogen bond as an acceptor, including two N-H⋯Cl⋯H-N interactions as well as one C-H⋯Cl inter-action. There are several C-H⋯Cl inter-actions, with C⋯Cl distances ranging from 3.492 (3) to 3.796 (3) Å. These link the cations and anions into a zigzag chain along the c-axis direction. In addition, there are Cl⋯Cl halogen bonds, as well as π-π inter-actions, with centroid-to-centroid distances of 3.4765 (18) Å, which link one of the two benzimidazole moieties into dimeric units.

Luminescent Gold(III) Thiolates: Supramolecular Interactions Trigger and Control Switchable Photoemissions from Bimolecular Excited States

A new family of cyclometallated gold(III) thiolato complexes based on pyrazine‐centred pincer ligands has been prepared, (C^N^pz^C)AuSR, where C^N^pz^C=2,6‐bis(4‐Bu^tC₆H₄)pyrazine dianion and R=Ph (1), C₆H₄tBu‐4 (2), 2‐pyridyl (3), 1‐naphthyl (1‐Np, 4), 2‐Np (5), quinolinyl (Quin, 6), 4‐methylcoumarinyl (Coum, 7) and 1‐adamantyl (8). The complexes were isolated as yellow to red solids in high yields using mild synthetic conditions. The single‐crystal X‐ray structures revealed that the colour of the deep‐red solids is associated with the formation of a particular type of short (3.2–3.3 Å) intermolecular pyrazine⋅⋅⋅pyrazine π‐interactions. In some cases, yellow and red crystal polymorphs were formed; only the latter were emissive at room temperature. Combined NMR and UV/Vis techniques showed that the supramolecular π‐stacking interactions persist in solution and give rise to intense deep‐red photoluminescence. Monomeric molecules show vibronically structured green emissions at low temperature, assigned to ligand‐based ³IL(C^N^C) triplet emissions. By contrast, the unstructured red emissions correlate mainly with a ³LLCT(SR→{(C^N^pz^C)₂}) charge transfer transition from the thiolate ligand to the π⋅⋅⋅π dimerized pyrazine. Unusually, the π‐interactions can be influenced by sample treatment in solution, such that the emissions can switch reversibly from red to green. To our knowledge this is the first report of aggregation‐enhanced emission in gold(III) chemistry.

Well-defined coinage metal transfer agents for the synthesis of NHC-based nickel, rhodium and palladium macrocycles

With a view to use as carbene transfer agents, well-defined silver(i) and copper(i) complexes of a macrocyclic NHC-based pincer ligand, bearing a central lutidine donor and a dodecamethylene spacer [CNC-(CH2)12, 1], have been prepared. Although the silver adduct is characterised by X-ray diffraction as a dinuclear species anti-[Ag(μ-1)]2(2+), variable temperature measurements indicate dynamic structural interchange in solution involving fragmentation into mononuclear [Ag(1)](+) on the NMR time scale. In contrast, a mononuclear structure is evident in both solution and the solid-state for the analogous copper adduct partnered with the weakly coordinating [BAr(F)4](-) counter anion. A related copper derivative, bearing instead the more coordinating cuprous bromide dianion [Cu2Br4](2-), is notable for the adoption of an interesting tetranuclear assembly in the solid-state, featuring two cuprophilic interactions and two bridging NHC donors, but is not retained on dissolution. Coinage metal precursors [M(1)]n[BAr(F)4]n (M = Ag, n = 2; M = Cu, n = 1) both act as carbene transfer agents to afford palladium, rhodium and nickel complexes of 1 and the effectiveness of these precursors has been evaluated under equivalent reaction conditions.

Silver(I), gold(I) and palladium(II) complexes of a NHC-pincer ligand with an aminotriazine core: a comparison with pyridyl analogues

Dinuclear silver, di- and tetra-nuclear gold, and mononuclear palladium complexes with chelating C,N,C diethylaminotriazinyl-bridged bis(NHC) pincer ligands were prepared and characterised. The silver and gold complexes exist in a twisted, helical conformation in both the solution- and the solid state. In contrast, an analogous dinuclear gold complex with pyridyl-bridged NHCs exists in a linear conformation. Computational studies have been performed to rationalise the formation of twisted/helical vs. linear forms.

Expanding the aqueous-based redox-facilitated self-polymerization chemistry of catecholamines to 5,6-dihydroxy-1H-benzimidazole and its 2-substituted derivatives

Redox-facilitated self-polymerization can be performed with 5,6-dihydroxy-1H-benzimidazole to generate materials analogous to polydopamine, proving the possibility to expand the catecholamine-based chemistry to N-heterocyclic catechol derivatives.

A new record excited state 3MLCT lifetime for metalorganic iron(ii) complexes

The ³MLCT lifetime of iron complexes was pushed to a record lifetime of 26 ps using a new benzimidazolylidene-based C^∧N^∧C ligand opening up new perspectives on the way of applying such complexes to photoelectrochemical processes.

Metal complexes with di(N-heterocyclic carbene) ligands bearing a rigid ortho-, meta or para-phenylene bridge

Ag(i) complexes with diNHC ligands are efficient transmetalating agents towards transition metals.

Simple synthesis of neutral and cationic Cu-NHC complexes

Simple synthesis of [(NHC)CuX] and [(NHC)₂Cu]PF₆ complexes with cheap copper powder in both organic solvent and water is described.

A heterotrimetallic Ir(iii), Au(iii) and Pt(ii) complex incorporating cyclometallating bi- and tridentate ligands: simultaneous emission from different luminescent metal centres leads to broad-band light emission

Di- and tri-nuclear metal complexes incorporating Au(iii), Ir(iii) and Pt(ii) units linked via a 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene core.

Cu2+ induced formation of Au44(SC2H4Ph)32 and its high catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol at low temperature

A novel nanocluster Au₄₄(SC₂H₄Ph)₃₂ exhibiting high catalytic activity at low-temperature was synthesized by an oxidation–decomposition–recombination (ODR) process.

Bidentate NHC^pyrozolate ligands in luminescent platinum(ii) complexes

The tuning of luminescence from blue to yellow was achieved with platinum complexes containing NHC^pyrozolate and functionalized-phenyl-pyridine or triazole-pyridine ligands.

Color tunable organic light-emitting devices with external quantum efficiency over 20% based on strongly luminescent gold(III) complexes having long-lived emissive excited states

Gold(III) complexes supported by C-deprotonated fluorene-C^N^C ligands having high emission quantum yield up to 0.61 and long-lived emissive excited states are used as yellow emitters in color tunable PLEDs and OLEDs. High EQEs of 13.16% and 22.02% are achieved in the best PLED and OLED, respectively.