Stepwise strategy to cyclometallated PtII complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands: A luminescence study on new β-diketonate complexes

Abstract

The imidazolium salt 3-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-imidazolium iodide (2) has been treated with silver(I) oxide and [{Pt(μ-Cl)(η3-2-Me-C3H4)}2] (η3-2-Me-C3H4 = η3 -2-methylallyl) to give the intermediate N-heterocyclic carbene complex [PtCl(η3-2-Me-C3H4)(HC C∗-κC∗)] (3) (HCC∗-κC∗= 3-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene). Compound 3 undergoes regiospecific cyclometallation at the naphthyl ring of the NHC ligand to give the five-membered platinacycle compound [{Pt(μ-Cl)(C C∗)}2] (4). Chlorine abstraction from 4 with b-diketonate Tl derivatives rendered the corresponding neutral compounds [Pt(CC∗)(L-O, O')] {L = acac (HL = acetylacetone) 5, phacac (HL = 1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedione) 6, hfacac (HL = hexafluoroacetylacetone) 7}. All of the compounds (3-7) were fully characterized by standard spectroscopic and analytical methods. X-ray diffraction studies were performed on 5-7, revealing short Pt-Pt and π- π interactions in the solid-state structure. The influence of the R-substituents of the β-diketonate ligand on the photophysical properties and the use of the most efficient emitter, 5, as phosphor converter has also been studied.