Crystal structure and triboluminescence spectrum of a centrosymmetric lanthanide complex imidazolium tetrakis(dibenzoylmethanato)europate

Triboluminescence of imidazolium tetrakis(dibenzoylmethanato)europate (1) was observed. Its crystal structure and the triboluminescent spectrum were determined. The crystal is centrosymmetric and the triboluminscent maximum is similar to that of its photoluminescence. Complex 1 is easily deformable and has weakly bonded interactions between ions and molecules in its lattice; these properties may be responsible for the triboluminescent activity. Complex 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Phcn with cell parameters a = 9.844(2), b = 25.701(2), c = 21.171(4) Angstrom; V = 5356(2) Angstrom(3) and Z = 4. The structure was refined by full-matrix least squares methods to R = 0.024 and R-w = 0.028.